International News
See other International News Articles
Title: Astronomers discover planet made of diamond
Source:
Reuters
URL Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011 ... -diamond-idUSTRE77O69A20110825
Published: Aug 25, 2011
Author: Ben Hirschler
Post Date: 2011-08-25 19:36:30 by A K A Stone
Keywords: None
Views: 2608
Comments: 6
(Reuters) - Astronomers have spotted an exotic planet that seems to be made of diamond racing around a tiny star in our galactic backyard. The new planet is far denser than any other known so far and consists largely of carbon. Because it is so dense, scientists calculate the carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of this strange world will effectively be diamond. "The evolutionary history and amazing density of the planet all suggest it is comprised of carbon -- i.e. a massive diamond orbiting a neutron star every two hours in an orbit so tight it would fit inside our own Sun," said Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. Lying 4,000 light years away, or around an eighth of the way toward the center of the Milky Way from the Earth, the planet is probably the remnant of a once-massive star that has lost its outer layers to the so-called pulsar star it orbits. Pulsars are tiny, dead neutron stars that are only around 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in diameter and spin hundreds of times a second, emitting beams of radiation. In the case of pulsar J1719-1438, the beams regularly sweep the Earth and have been monitored by telescopes in Australia, Britain and Hawaii, allowing astronomers to detect modulations due to the gravitational pull of its unseen companion planet. The measurements suggest the planet, which orbits its star every two hours and 10 minutes, has slightly more mass than Jupiter but is 20 times as dense, Bailes and colleagues reported in the journal Science on Thursday. In addition to carbon, the new planet is also likely to contain oxygen, which may be more prevalent at the surface and is probably increasingly rare toward the carbon-rich center. Its high density suggests the lighter elements of hydrogen and helium, which are the main constituents of gas giants like Jupiter, are not present. Just what this weird diamond world is actually like close up, however, is a mystery. "In terms of what it would look like, I don't know I could even speculate," said Ben Stappers of the University of Manchester. "I don't imagine that a picture of a very shiny object is what we're looking at here."
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: A K A Stone (#0)
(Edited)
OK. Is there a 'jew joke' soon to follow? {{{chuckle}}}
Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
{{{chuckle}}} Just in case any of you wondered who "Brianna", (or any other so called libTURD), really IS. DEEP in "her" so called "soul" that is of course. Is there any wonder why these libTURD SCUM get along so well with the "religion" of PI$$? THIS is their real face. NICE huh? /S libTURD SCUM. SCUM
Spoiled, stupid and ignorant, brain dead phuckwads, libTURD fools, tools, and idiots, are the real sickness; the messiah "king" obammy and his regime are only the symptoms.
Maybe, both Bernanke and 0bama will captain a spacecraft to haul it back to Earth with the hopes to pay off the national debt and certainly his own family vacations.
Nah, a spacecraft would be too much like one of those evil corporate jets. Obama would tax it so much it would never get off the ground.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ You don't seem to understand important issues confronting all Americans and there are at least two: 2) 0bama is preparing his brand NEW spanking address for the nation's job recovery. Don't you think this new planet made out of "diamond" will give them the recovery impetus that Americas dream about? I have my fingers crossed right now.
If Richard Burton were still alive, nobody would get that diamond but Liz....
#2. To: Brian S, A K A Stone, ALL (#1)
OK. Is there a 'jew joke' soon to follow?
#3. To: A K A Stone (#0)
#4. To: buckeroo (#3)
Maybe, both Bernanke and 0bama will captain a spacecraft to haul it back to Earth with the hopes to pay off the national debt and certainly his own family vacations.
HA! The tea-party, INDEED! They're so . . . ah . . . common
#5. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#4)
1) Bernanke appears at Jackson Hole, WY tomorrow to deliver his brand NEW spanking address for the nation's economy; and,
#6. To: A K A Stone (#0)
Astronomers discover planet made of diamond
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]