09 November 2018
Leftover gas from the Sun's birth created Earth's water
...it packs in an extra neutron in its nucleus. This heavy hydrogen is called deuterium and scientists distinguish one body of water... by its attraction to iron; which being quite a heavy element sunk into the centre of our planet. Deuterium meanwhile ...
03 July 2019
New study reveals detailed exoplanet atmosphere
...and methane gas, similar to what we see on Neptune,” said Benneke. "Instead, we found an atmosphere that is so poor in heavy elements that its composition resembles the hydrogen/helium rich composition of the Sun." This combination of characteristics...
16 October 2017
First detected neutron star merger reveals more than gravitational waves
... undergoes rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis (also known as the r-process), that subsequently enriches a galaxy with rare heavy elements like gold and platinum. Again, the previous culprit to explain the formation of atoms with a proton count...
22 March 2016
Astronomers catch a supernova shock wave in visible light for the first time
... complexity and life itself have been scattered in space and time in our Milky Way galaxy. "All heavy elements in the universe come from supernova explosions. For example, all the silver, nickel, and copper in the...
27 February 2017
Thirty years in the making - researchers show SN1987A in all of its glory
... vast amounts of new dust is being forged from the new elements created in the progenitor star. "A supernova remnant cools quickly, so within a few years the heavy elements formed in the star can form molecules and condense into...
08 March 2021
New study determines best place and time to live in the Milky Way
...Earth started evolving – then the tables were turned. Heavy elements spewed out by generations of star formation reduced the frequency... gas of hydrogen and helium was enriched with heavier elements (oxygen, carbon, nitrogen) quickly in the center ...
