An annual Jain and Hindu Spring Festival, Akshay Tritia, is almost here, and what is the more suitable opportunity to do deep excavations about gold? Where did you do Sleep Come from earrings? Of course, from the store! But before that? Where were they sour? Yes, gold mines. But how did it emerge there? How to make them on earth? Well, NASA’s data may have some clues. What if we tell you that some gold in your jewelery or smartphone (yes, your phone is gold) may have been created billions of years ago in a magnetar explosion! Sounds wild, but it is possible.
Where does gold come from,
We know that there is a large amount of hydrogen, helium and lithium in the universe since Big Bang. Heavy metals were later formed, as the stars converted light elements into heavy (until iron) in their core. However, how the first elements are heavy compared to iron, such as gold, is made and distributed throughout the universe. A new study by researchers at the Center for Computational Astrophysics of the Flatirone Institute in New York suggests some cosmic connections! Using a 20 -year arithmetic data from NASA and the European Space Agency telescopes, researchers have found evidence that magnetators may be heavier for 10% of elements compared to iron, including powerful flare gold. Has been published in findings The astrophizical journal letters,
NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Do you believe that gold in your jewelry can arise from cosmic events like magnetar flares?
The new study found that a single giant flare from a magnetar can produce mass equal to 27 moon of heavy elements, including gold, platinum and other heavy elements. These elements, including uranium and strontium, are produced in a set of nuclear reactions, known as the rapid neutron-conscience process, or R-process.
“This is really the second time when we have ever seen the proof of this element (first Neutron Star Merger) co-author Brian Metzgar, who is a senior research scientist at CCA and a professor at Columbia University, said in a statement.” This is a sufficient leap in our understanding of the production of heavy elements. ,
Researchers have dating a puzzle back until December 2004, when a space telescope detected a bright burst of light from a magnetar. The initial giant flare was so intense that it released more energy in a few seconds in a few seconds. Although astronomers quickly identified the origin of Flair, a small sign that appeared 10 minutes later remained unexplained.
In 2024, the metzagar and colleagues calculated that the huge flarers could remove the material in the space from the crust of the magnetar, where R-processing elements can be formed.
Anirudh Patel, a doctoral candidate from Columbia University and prominent writer on new studies, said, “It is very incredible to think that some heavy elements around us, like precious metals in our phones and computers, are produced in these crazy extreme environment,” said Anirudh Patel, a doctoral candidate from Columbia University and the new study.
They found that the giant rage of the magnetators create unstable, heavy radioactive elements, which then break into stable people like gold. As this decay, they emit the glow of light and create new elements. In 2024, the group also calculated that this glow would appear as a burst of gamma rays, which is a form of highly energetic light. When he shared it with Gama-ray astronomers, he came to know that a similar unexplained signal was seen decades ago. As scientists are studying magnetar and people studying element formation rarely work together, no one had suggested that the signal could be caused by new element building.
“The incident was forgotten for years. But we felt very quickly that our model was perfect for it,” called Metzgar.
“The interesting thing about these huge flarers is that they can actually be quick in galactic history. Magnetar veterans can be a solution to a problem where we have, where we have more heavy elements in young galaxies, which can be made from neutron star confrontation alone,” Patel says.
Researchers are hoping to inspect more such flares to understand the contribution of magnetators. NASA’s Competon spectrometer and imagers are expected to be launched in 2027, and it can help capture these signs.
“Once a gamma-ray burst is detected, you have to indicate an ultraviolet telescope at the source within 10 to 15 minutes to see the peak of the signal and confirm that the R-process elements are made there. It will be a fun chase,” Metzagar says.
The next time you wear your gold jewelery, thank the universe and the next time someone asks you if you know the origin of gold, make sure you explain to them how!
