Gold May Be Product of Colliding Neutron Stars

It is introduced that in the Milky Way Galaxy, the collision probability of two neutron stars is about once every 100,000 years on average. About 1% of their mass will be converted into heavy elements during each collision, and only a small part of this is gold. Berger estimates that the amount of gold produced by the latest observed collision could be equivalent to 10 moons.

By combining the possible number of neutron star collisions since the Big Bang and the amount of gold possibly produced during a gamma-ray burst, researchers have found that all the gold in the universe may come from such gamma-ray bursts. Berger said: "Our jewelry is all the product of colliding stars."

This research achievement will be published in the American "Astrophysical Journal Letters."