Origins of gold

[mr-dead]

Bit of science article on sky news around how gold is created :

http://news.sky.com/story/scientists-discover-incredible-origin-of-gold-to-herald-new-chapter-in-astrophysics-11083888

"This tells us that the heavy elements, like the gold or platinum in jewellery, are the cinders, forged in the billion degree remnants of a merging neutron star."

[KDave]

That is awesome. But I thought it was in supernova that the majority of heavy elements were formed and that explained their abundance and was evidence of the early history of the universe - lots of huge stars going pop. Is this still the case? The article makes it sound as if everything is made in neutron collisions which if true changes the picture of the early universe. I think it's probably the former and this discovery has just demonstrated another star type and situation from which these elements are formed, rather than the claim this discovery changes everything, newspapers love sensationalist headlines after all?

[augur]

Indeed, @KDave, that seems to be a paradigm shift in the creation of heavy elements.

I wonder if the gold on our planet is the aftermath of Big Bang or from outer space from some other neutron star colision. 

[Ares]

21 minutes ago, augur said:

Indeed, @KDave, that seems to be a paradigm shift in the creation of heavy elements.

I wonder if the gold on our planet is the aftermath of Big Bang or from outer space from some other neutron star colision. 

From memory, the current thinking is that the majority of elements like gold actually 'sunk' towards the core when the earth was more molten and that the existing deposits we know now are remenants of asteroid collisions with the planet.

[Sovsaver]

I seem to remember from my astronomy lessons that big stars can burn through various layers producing elements through fusion up to iron, at that stage the balance between radiation pressure and gravity fails and the star collapses in to a supernova. I thought the supernova created all the stuff heavier than iron, but it seems there is more to it based on the fascinating link above.

Carl Sagan said, "we're made of star stuff, we are a way for the cosmos to know itself".

[Roy]

Astronomy lessons? you must have gone to one of them grammar schools or some fink! 

[Sovsaver]

Open university, making up for an education gained in a Yorkshire comprehensive. Didn't say that I passed the course though, eh?

[Roy]

Yorkshire huh? 

Lots of sovlove in Yorkshire 

[Sovsaver]

Thirsk, but living in the land of the haggis these days.

[Roy]

Lots of sovlove there too!

They'll be along soon 

[sovereignsteve]

Love the Thirsk area, good fishing and kebabs

[MancunianStacker]

http://www.ladbible.com/news/news-asteroid-filled-with-metals-could-make-everyone-on-earth-a-billionaire-20190627?source=facebook

One way for Trump to pay off he national debt, land on this sucker and mine it for all its worth (keeping it hush hush 🤫).