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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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