a distant quasar called APM 08279+5255, 12 billion light-years away, containing about one hundred forty trillion times the amount of water found in all of Earth’s oceans combined.

 

Astronomers have found the largest and oldest reservoir of water ever discovered in the universe, surrounding a distant quasar called APM 08279+5255. This quasar sits more than twelve billion light-years away and is powered by a supermassive black hole. Around it lies a gigantic cloud containing about one hundred forty trillion times the amount of water found in all of Earth’s oceans combined. The discovery shows that water existed surprisingly early in the universe, forming just under two billion years after the Big Bang.

The quasar’s black hole is feeding on gas and dust, releasing intense energy that heats the surrounding area to extreme temperatures. Even in these violent conditions, water molecules managed to form and survive, circulating within the quasar’s enormous gas cloud. This means that the elements needed for life were already present in significant amounts long before planets like Earth existed.

Finding this much water so early changes how scientists view the young universe. It suggests that complex chemistry developed faster than once thought, and that water—the key ingredient for life—may be far more common across the cosmos than imagined. This discovery expands our understanding of how galaxies and black holes formed, and how the universe built the materials that make life possible.

Research Paper

DOI 10.1088/2041-8205/738/1/L6

Doctor ASKY