Earth and Space

Water surprise!

Stories from Physics for 11-14 14-16 IOP RESOURCES

Astronomers have discovered the largest known reservoir of water in the universe in a quasar - a feeding supermassive black hole (ie one into which matter is being sucked). This quasar is formed of a black hole 20 billion times the mass of the Sun and emitting a thousand trillion times its radiation. The water vapour exists in a region around the black hole hundreds of light years in size and is heated to -53°C by energy from the quasar.

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IOP AWARDS 2025

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