Scientists have for the first time witnessed the crash of two ultra-dense neutron stars, cataclysmic events now known to have generated at least half the gold in the universe, excited research teams revealed Monday.
Shockwaves and light flashes emitted by the cosmic fireball traveled some 130 million light-years to be captured by Earthly detectors on August 17, they revealed at simultaneous press conferences around the globe as a dozen science papers were published in top academic journals.
“We witnessed history unfolding in front of our eyes: two neutron stars drawing closer, closer… turning faster and faster around each other, then colliding and scattering debris all over the place,” co-discoverer Benoit Mours of France’s CNRS research institute tells AFP.
The groundbreaking observation has solved a number of physics riddles and sent ripples of anticipation through the scientific community.
Most jaw-dropping for many, the data finally reveals where much of the gold, platinum, mercury and other heavy elements in the universe came from.
— AFP
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Monday, October 16, 2017
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