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Where Does Gold Come From? The Answer Is Two Neutron Stars Colliding
@garagelab
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2026-05-13 03:45:27
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- The r-process (rapid neutron capture) creates elements heavier than iron — only possible in neutron star mergers and supernovae - GW170817 (2017): first observed kilonova detected by LIGO + optical telescopes — estimated 10 Earth masses of gold produced in one event - Why stars can't make gold: stellar nucleosynthesis stops at iron (most stable nucleus); heavier elements require energy input - Every gold atom on Earth arrived in the solar accretion disk from kilonova events ~4.5 billion years ago — we wear billion-year-old stellar debris
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