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Gold forged from remains of dead stars
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STUDY: DEAD STARS COLLIDING FORGED GOLD ON EARTH
BY ALICIA CHANG
AP SCIENCE WRITER
AP Photo/Anonymous
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A strange glow in space has provided fresh evidence that all the gold on Earth was forged from ancient collisions of dead stars, researchers reported Wednesday.
Astronomers have long known that fusion reactions in the cores of stars create lighter elements such as carbon and oxygen, but such reactions can't produce heavier elements like gold.
Instead, it was long thought that gold was created in a type of stellar explosion known as a supernova. But that doesn't fully explain the amount of the precious metal in the solar system.
About a decade ago, a team from Europe using supercomputers suggested that gold, platinum and other heavy metals could be formed when two exotic stars - neutron stars - crash and merge. Neutron stars are essentially stellar relics - collapsed cores of massive stars.
Now telescopes have detected such an explosion, and the observation bolsters the notion that gold in our jewelry was made in such rare and violent collisions long before the birth of the solar system about 4 1/2 billion years ago.
People "walk around with a little tiny piece of the universe," said lead researcher Edo Berger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
NASA's Swift telescope last month observed a gamma-ray burst that resulted from the crash of dead stars. The burst, in a distant galaxy, was some 3.9 billion light-years away. Each light-year is about 6 trillion miles.
The burst lasted only a fraction of a second. Using ground telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope, Berger's team noticed an odd glow that lasted for days. Infrared light in the glow could be evidence that heavy elements like gold had spewed out of the cosmic crash, the researchers said.
The new work, which will appear in a future issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggests gold was produced in a similar fashion in the Milky Way. It doesn't delve into how Earth was sprinkled with riches, but previous studies have suggested that a meteor shower may have delivered gold and other precious metals to the planet.
If the new study's interpretation is correct, "this would be truly very exciting news," said Stockholm University astrophysicist Stephan Rosswog, who led the earlier supercomputing effort but didn't have a role in the latest study.
More observations of gamma-ray bursts are needed, but it's looking more likely that mergers of neutron stars are "a major cauldron in which elements like gold are forged," Rosswog said.
Such flashes are thought to occur in the Milky Way about once every 100,000 years. Berger said it's unlikely another will happen in our galaxy in our lifetime. But satellites can often detect such eruptions in distant galaxies about once a month.
BY ALICIA CHANG
AP SCIENCE WRITER
AP Photo/Anonymous
SCIENCE VIDEO
BUY AP PHOTO REPRINTS
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A strange glow in space has provided fresh evidence that all the gold on Earth was forged from ancient collisions of dead stars, researchers reported Wednesday.
Astronomers have long known that fusion reactions in the cores of stars create lighter elements such as carbon and oxygen, but such reactions can't produce heavier elements like gold.
Instead, it was long thought that gold was created in a type of stellar explosion known as a supernova. But that doesn't fully explain the amount of the precious metal in the solar system.
About a decade ago, a team from Europe using supercomputers suggested that gold, platinum and other heavy metals could be formed when two exotic stars - neutron stars - crash and merge. Neutron stars are essentially stellar relics - collapsed cores of massive stars.
Now telescopes have detected such an explosion, and the observation bolsters the notion that gold in our jewelry was made in such rare and violent collisions long before the birth of the solar system about 4 1/2 billion years ago.
People "walk around with a little tiny piece of the universe," said lead researcher Edo Berger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
NASA's Swift telescope last month observed a gamma-ray burst that resulted from the crash of dead stars. The burst, in a distant galaxy, was some 3.9 billion light-years away. Each light-year is about 6 trillion miles.
The burst lasted only a fraction of a second. Using ground telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope, Berger's team noticed an odd glow that lasted for days. Infrared light in the glow could be evidence that heavy elements like gold had spewed out of the cosmic crash, the researchers said.
The new work, which will appear in a future issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggests gold was produced in a similar fashion in the Milky Way. It doesn't delve into how Earth was sprinkled with riches, but previous studies have suggested that a meteor shower may have delivered gold and other precious metals to the planet.
If the new study's interpretation is correct, "this would be truly very exciting news," said Stockholm University astrophysicist Stephan Rosswog, who led the earlier supercomputing effort but didn't have a role in the latest study.
More observations of gamma-ray bursts are needed, but it's looking more likely that mergers of neutron stars are "a major cauldron in which elements like gold are forged," Rosswog said.
Such flashes are thought to occur in the Milky Way about once every 100,000 years. Berger said it's unlikely another will happen in our galaxy in our lifetime. But satellites can often detect such eruptions in distant galaxies about once a month.
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(So when I look up into space with a telescope at some of the remnants of supernovas, I can say I lost money because of a supernova just like that one.)
thxs for posting
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<< <i>Actually every atom on earth, including yours, were forged in the heart of stars. You are literally made of stardust. >>
Yes, I believe all visible matter is the result of exploding stats....star dust as it were.
Kinda neat!
The main atoms of life (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus) came mostly from normal-ish stars, which make those elements as they burn through their fuel. But the heavy elements (e.g. gold) have to come from something else. I had thought they were made in supernova, but apparently not so much.
That just took the luster off it. HAHAHAHAHAH
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...a team from Europe using supercomputers suggested that gold, platinum and other heavy metals could be formed...
..and the observation bolsters the notion that gold in our jewelry....
..Infrared light in the glow could be evidence that heavy elements like gold....
The new work...suggests gold was produced in a similar fashion...in the Milky Way.....It doesn't delve into how Earth was sprinkled with riches, but previous studies have suggested that a meteor shower may have delivered gold and other precious metals to the planet.
If the new study's interpretation is correct, "this would be truly very exciting news,"..
So funny how so much speculation is blown up so quickly and that people think that life comes from outer space and cosmic collisions.....
The Creator wrote The Book and told us where we came from. All you have to do is read it. It's ok to try and discover new things, that's why He gave us a desire for Knowledge. I think He gets a kick out of it when we discover new things, like SuperNovas in new galaxys. But to try and disprove Him, that's a no no.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
The Creator wrote The Book and told us where we came from. All you have to do is read it. It's ok to try and discover new things, that's why He gave us a desire for Knowledge. I think He gets a kick out of it when we discover new things, like SuperNovas in new galaxys. But to try and disprove Him, that's a no no.
Please don't hijack the thread with YOUR beliefs
<< <i>So funny how so much speculation is blown up so quickly and that people think that life comes from outer space and cosmic collisions.....
The Creator wrote The Book and told us where we came from. All you have to do is read it. It's ok to try and discover new things, that's why He gave us a desire for Knowledge. I think He gets a kick out of it when we discover new things, like SuperNovas in new galaxys. But to try and disprove Him, that's a no no.
Please don't hijack the thread with YOUR beliefs >>
Like you did?
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<< <i>Please don't hijack the thread with THE TRUTH >>
There, fixed it for you. Sorry for any hijacking that may have occurred.
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Instead of bumping this thread and in response to the OP's comment 2 posts down I'll just comment here; That is one of the most absurd things I've ever read. Your assumptions are a bit nutty.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
<< <i>It's my thread >>
apologies, my bad
don't open doors that you want to stay closed.
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<< <i>the gold on earth did not 'come from stars'... it was formed when stars collided/went supernova etc >>
How is that not 'from stars'?