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Space & Spaceflight

The Biggest Diamond in the Universe Is Actually a Planet

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Astronomers and gold diggers were excited when scientists discovered a planet littered with diamonds. That’s just okay now. Why? Because a new planet just took bling to the next level: it’s one massive diamond the size of Jupiter.

https://gizmodo.com/scientists-say-theres-a-planet-lined-with-diamonds-5711607

The planet is super dense and is made up of carbon. With the kind of density its pulling, scientists figure the carbon must be crystalline aka diamond.

According to Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne:

“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”

Astronomers speculate that the new diamond is probably a remnant of a once gigantic star that’s lost its outer layers. It now “only” has a little more mass than Jupiter, the BFP (biggest fucking planet) in our solar system but is 20 times more dense. Sadly, for the diamond loving citizens of Earth, the planet is 4,000 light years away. [Reuters via @LoriBergamotto, Image Credit: Reuters]


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