by: Angelica Arquero

Scientists have long known that oceans exist on planets, but researchers have also discovered a massive body of water far beyond Earth, floating in deep space.

The discovery was made in 1998 and involves what astronomers describe as an enormous reservoir of water vapor located in a distant part of the universe.

Unlike Earth’s oceans, this body of water is not found on any planet.

The object is known as APM 08279+5255 and is located in the constellation Lynx, about 12 billion light-years away from Earth.

It was identified through the Automatic Plate Measuring (APM) survey, a project designed to detect distant celestial objects.

According to astronomers, the water exists in vapor form and surrounds a supermassive black hole, forming part of what is called an accretion disk, a structure made of gas and dust pulled in by the black hole’s gravity.

Researchers estimate that the amount of water in this region is about 140 trillion times greater than all the water found on Earth combined.

The reservoir itself is believed to span hundreds of light-years.

Scientists noted that the water may not remain in its current form forever, as the extreme gravity and energy released by the black hole could alter its movement and structure over time.

They added that the water likely formed from elements drawn in and processed by the black hole and its host galaxy during the early stages of the universe.