Gold found on Earth may have originated from neutron stars colliding in space. New research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts shows that the precious heavy metals found on Earth are probably formed by neutron star collisions.
Gold found on Earth may have originated from neutron stars colliding in space.
Previous research suggested that supernova explosions caused the formation of gold along with other heavy elements like platinum, lead and uranium.
New research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts shows now that the heavy metals found on Earth are probably formed by neutron star collisions.
Astronomer and lead researcher Edo Berger says that in our Milky Way galaxy these kinds of collisions are estimated to happen once every 100 thousand years.
NASA’s Swift satellite telescope first observed a gamma ray burst indicating a neutron star collision in galaxy almost 4 billion light years away. This was subsequently re-observed using the Hubble Space telescope in Chile.
The resulting radioactive afterglow observed is believed to be from the formation of heavy metals when the neutron stars crashed into each other.
Berger is quoted in a press release as saying: “We estimate that the amount of gold produced and ejected during the merger of the two neutron stars may be as large as 10 moon masses – quite a lot of bling!”
