A team of Chinese and American astronomers has discovered a mysterious, high-energy glow in the Milky Way galaxy.
It could be the first known remnant of a cosmic “gold factory.”
According to the South China Morning Post, citing a study conducted by scientists from the Institute of High Energy Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Notre Dame in the United States, this “factory” may have formed as a result of a collision between two neutron stars, which produced massive quantities of gold, platinum and uranium.
The scientists confirm that the collision of the two neutron stars sent atoms and a flood of neutrons flying outward.
The atoms absorbed these neutrons, leading to the formation of the heaviest elements in the universe, including gold, platinum and uranium.
At the same time, the remnants of the two stars collapsed and formed a black hole.
According to the researchers, the collision occurred less than a thousand years ago, which explains why the remaining glowing cloud is still small and bright.
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