Astronomers just proved the incredible origin of nearly all gold, platinum, and silver in the universe
18 October, 2017
An illustration of two neutron stars colliding. NASA
- For the first time, astronomers have detected a neutron-star collision.
- Gravitational waves heard by two detectors pinpointed the source to a galaxy 130 million light-years away.
- The collision produced a radioactive "kilonova" that forged hundreds of Earths' worth of platinum, gold, silver, and other atoms.
- The discovery solves a longstanding mystery about the origins of heavy elements.
Platinum and gold are among the most precious substances on Earth, each fetching roughly $1,000 an ounce.
However, their allure may grow stronger — and weirder — thanks to a groundbreaking new finding about their violent, radioactive, and cosmic origins.
On Monday, scientists who won a Nobel Prize for their discovery of gravitational waves, or ripples in the fabric of space, announced the first detection of the collision of two neutron stars.
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