Astronomers have spotted the most distant and brightest "space laser," or megamaser, ever seen, and it's blasting out from a collision between galaxies that occurred when the universe was just half its current age.
"This megamaser is unusual because it is located at a very large distance. That means we are observing it from a much earlier time in the universe.
"By studying the emission lines, we can learn about the gas kinematics, the physical conditions in the galaxy, and the processes driving star formation," Manamela said. "Megamasers can also act as indicators of dual active galactic nuclei or pairs of supermassive black holes, systems that are expected to produce gravitational waves.
