It is said that water can be understood by understanding the cosmos and all of life. 2021 observations from The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) detected this primal substance in the most massive galaxy in the early Universe.
Scientists who studied ALMA data from SPT031158 discovered H2O water molecules and carbon monoxide in the galaxy that is nearly 12.88 billion light-years from Earth. The abundance of these molecules suggests that the molecular world was still strong just after the elements were created in early stars. These are the ResearchThe study includes the most extensive molecular gas analysis of a galaxy from the early universe and the farthest detection of H2O within a regular star-forming Galaxy. The Astrophysical Journal published the research.
Two Galaxies merging into an Elliptical Giant
SPT0311–58 is actually composed of two galaxies. It was first observed by ALMA scientists at its location in the Epoch Of Reionization in 2017. This epoch occurred at a time when the universe was just 780 million years old—roughly 5-percent of its current age—and the first stars and galaxies were being born. Scientists think that the galaxies are merging and that their star-forming speed is not only consuming their gas but may also be transforming them into massive elliptical galaxyes, like those seen in The. Local universe.
These molecules, important to life on Earth, are forming as soon as they can, and their observation is get a better understanding of the structural formation and evolution of the early universe.”
This artist’s image above shows the dust continuum and molecular lines of carbon monoxide and water seen in the pair of galaxies known as SPT0311-58. ALMA Obsservatory Data reveals that the largest of the two galaxies has abundant CO2 and H2O, which indicates that the molecular Universe had been active shortly after the elements were first created. Credit: ALMA/ESO/NAOJ/NRAO/S. Dagnello (NRAO)
The Ocean Galaxy -Many of Milky Way’s 4,000 Known Exoplanets May Be Water Worlds
A High Redshift
“Using high-resolution ALMA observations of molecular gas in the pair of galaxies known collectively as SPT0311-58 we detected both water and carbon monoxide molecules in the larger of the two galaxies. Oxygen and carbon, in particular, are first-generation elements, and in the molecular forms of carbon monoxide and water, they are critical to life as we know it,” saidSreevani JarugulaThe principal investigator of the new research is astronomer, Dr. John Sullivan of the University of Illinois. “This galaxy is the most massive galaxy currently known at high redshift, or the time when the universe was still very young. It has more gas and dust compared to other galaxies in the early universe, which gives us plenty of potential opportunities to observe abundant molecules and to better understand how these life-creating elements impacted the development of the early universe.”
These science images are a combination of molecular lines for H2O and CO seen in ALMA observation of SPT0311-5, a pair of massive galaxies that were discovered early. Left: A composite image that combines the dust continuum and molecular lines H2O/CO. The molecular lines for CO are shown in blue (top), red (middle), blue (2nd from top), purple (middle), magenta (2nd from bottom) and pinks (bottom). Different transitions and molecules trace the different densities in these gas galaxies. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)./S. Dagnello (NRAO)
Early galaxies are forming stars at a rate thousands of times that of the Milky Way.”
After molecular hydrocarbon monoxide (and molecular oxygen), water is the third-most abundant molecule in all of the universe. In the past, studies of galaxies within the local and early universes showed a correlation between water emissions and the far infrared emission from dirt.
Water Emissions are detected by dust
“The dust absorbs the ultraviolet radiation from the stars in the galaxy and re-emits it as far-infrared photons,” said Jarugula. “This further excites the water molecules, giving rise to the water emission that scientists are able to observe. It allowed us to detect water emissions in the massive galaxy. This correlation could be used to develop water as a tracer of star formation, which could then be applied to galaxies on a cosmological scale.”
The first galaxies that formed in the universe help scientists understand the evolution, birth, growth and development of the universe and all it contains, including Earth and the solar system. The first generation of stars had to produce heavier elements such as carbon and oxygen, but also have large amounts of cool, dense gas in these galaxies. This allowed for the atoms to combine into molecules.
“Early galaxies are forming stars at a rate thousands of times that of the Milky Way, said Jarugula. “Studying the gas and dust content of these early galaxies informs us of their properties, such as how many stars are being formed, the rate at which gas is converted into stars, how galaxies interact with each other and with the interstellar medium, and more.”
“So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish” –Water Worlds Like Earth May Not Be Best Bet for Life
How did so much dust and gas get assembled?
According to Jarugula, there’s plenty left to learn about SPT0311-58 and the galaxies of the early universe. “This study not only provides answers about where, and how far away, water can exist in the universe, but also has given rise to a big question: How has so much gas and dust assembled to form stars and galaxies so early in the universe? The answer requires further study of these and similar star-forming galaxies to get a better understanding of the structural formation and evolution of the early universe.”
Send an email to The Daily Galaxy, Jarugula wrote: “Dust is mainly formed from the Asymptotic Giant Branch stars (AGB).Supernovae. Dust is home to many chemical reactions that create molecules. The early universe is being studied in theory and modeling. This is an active area of research and the next generation telescopes such as JWST will probe farther into the Universe and hopefully provide more answers.”
“This exciting result, which shows the power of ALMA, adds to a growing collection of observations of the early universe,” said Joe Pesce, astrophysicist and ALMA Program Director at the National Science Foundation. “These molecules, important to life on Earth, are forming as soon as they can, and their observation is giving us insight into the fundamental processes of a universe very much different from today’s.”
Additional information:Two Dusty Star-Forming Galaxies at Z = 6.9: Molecular Line observations S. Jarugula et al. 2021.
Maxwell Moe, astrophysicist, NASA Einstein Fellow University of Arizona via Alma Observatory, Sreevani Jarugula National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Your free daily fix of stories of space and science –a random journey from Planet Earth through the Cosmos– that has the capacity to provide clues to our existence and add a much needed cosmic perspective in our Anthropocene epoch.
Yes, Sign Me Up for “The Galaxy Report” Newsletter
Maxwell Moe is an astrophysicist and NASA Einstein Fellow at the University of Arizona. Max can usually be found at Kitt Peak National Observatory on two nights per week exploring the mysteries and wonders of the Universe. Max earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 2015 from Harvard University.
