A long time ago in a galaxy far far away

JulieW · Jul 18, 2013

Origin of gold found in rare neutron-star collisions

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/technology...-collisions-20130718-2q64n.html#ixzz2ZOpvI2Rz

Gold - atomic number 79, element symbol Au, the most widely beloved of the precious metals - might have its origin in extremely rare and violent explosions in the far reaches of outer space. The bling apparently begins with a blam.

For many years, scientists had theorised that the heavy elements of the periodic table, such as gold, platinum, lead and uranium, had their origin in supernova explosions. But the source, scientists announced on Wednesday, might be even more exotic: the collision of two ultra-dense objects called neutron stars.

If platinum is your thing, then rejoice: These collisions create seven times as much platinum as gold.

"We now have kind of a smoking gun," said Edo Berger, an astronomer who led the research at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics.

The elements on Earth are all of cosmic origin. Carbon and oxygen atoms in our bodies, for example, come from the interior of stars, where they were formed under high pressure and heat. They were later spewed into the universe in supernova explosions. It is literally true, as Carl Sagan was fond of saying, that we are all star stuff.
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But what hasn't been known is whether these supernova events could account for the heaviest of the elements. A heavy element such as gold has 79 protons, 79 electrons and 118 neutrons. That's a lot of mass for one atom. Most of the elements are simpler; gold and the other heavy elements are cosmically extravagant.

The neutron stars might provide the explanation.

Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of stars that have exploded in a supernova. A neutron star might be roughly the diameter of Washington but contain as much mass as our sun, all of it crammed together by the force of gravity, until even the atoms have collapsed, leaving the object with the density of an atomic nucleus.

A teaspoon full of neutron-star material would weigh, on Earth, about 5 billion tonnes, Berger said.

Most of these cosmic fruitcakes are solitary wanderers, but some are paired up, as remnants of binary stars. They will orbit a common point in space and gradually drift closer and closer, spiralling towards one another in obedience to Einstein's laws of general relativity. One day, they will collide.

In the Milky Way galaxy, with hundreds of billions of stars, such a neutron-star collision is likely to happen about once every 100,000 years, Berger said.
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So by my reckoning the next bear market is about a hundred thousand years away

KMGeneral · Jul 19, 2013

This thread went exactly where I thought / hoped it would

Argentum · Jul 19, 2013

so bernanke is emperor palpatine

edit: dibbs on han solo

Roswell Crash Survivor · Jul 19, 2013

Never encountered a collision between neutron stars in my travels. Being near enough to observe insanely dense objects colliding at relativistic velocities is hazardous to your health.

mmissinglink · Jul 19, 2013

So by my reckoning the next bear market is about a hundred thousand years away
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And in the meantime, just pretend that silver and gold have been sinking down for more than a year.....ouch! I just pricked my finger on another bear's tooth.

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A long time ago in a galaxy far far away

JulieW Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

KMGeneral Member

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A long time ago in a galaxy far far away

JulieW Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

KMGeneral Member

Argentum Well-Known Member

Roswell Crash Survivor Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

mmissinglink Active Member

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