Newly discovered planet may be made almost completely out of diamond

[dhm794]

http://news.yahoo.com/astronomers-discover-planet-made-diamond-180427124.html

LONDON (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."
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Sophie Hares)

So who's gonna be the first one to add this to Universe Sandbox? 

[SuperNova]

when does the plane with Lasers leave?

jk, this is awesome, it would be more awesome if this planet circles the diamond star 

[FiahOwl]

This message is only viewable with Universe Sandbox Galaxy Edition. Access it and much more with promo-code '42189'.

[FiahOwl]

This message is only viewable with Universe Sandbox Galaxy Edition. Access it and much more with promo-code '42191'.

[atomic7732]

I nickname it Lucy!!


"Lucy in the sky with Diamonds..."

Would have been better if it hadn't been done before. :/ They seriously have before.

Btw, probably is a boring simulation, it's just a pulsar and a planet.

[karakris]

Sounds like the Planet Quoneeria - In my "Krissyverse".
Except Quoneeria is simply Barren, dry as dust - with Uncounted Tons of Diamonds.
Otherwise, a damn dry Earth-like Planet.

This Quoneeria orbits an ordinary Orange Star - but it has other reasons for being barren.
It Binary opposite number 1.5 LY away - went Nova some while back ( in the last 2,000 Years ), and killed everything in the System where Quoneeeria is.
The Binary Star ( Neutralia ) is a medium-small White Dwarf now - but  not a good place to be at all - loads of Neutrons and high X-Ray output.
Funny thing is - Neutralia looks a bit deliberate.  We found a very big but badly damaged orbiting metal object orbiting well out.  On closer examination it seems to be an Alien Ship, with a single gigantic Linac of Alien design filling a very large part of  the internal space.  Research into this is continuing.   

[matty406]

Let's break it up into chunks and ship them to earth. Human greed prevails!
Or, make a diamond ring for Galactus.

[Daryl95]

I'm going to start on this tomorrow. I'll place the system in relation to the Sun and I'll do it accurately!

[Teh_Saccade]

I nickname it Lucy!!
"Lucy in the sky with Diamonds..."

Would have been better if it hadn't been done before. :/ They seriously have before.

Yeah, but this time - it really, literally IS!

[FiahOwl]

This message is only viewable with Universe Sandbox Galaxy Edition. Access it and much more with promo-code '44983'.

[Suromile]

I nickname it Lucy!!


"Lucy in the sky with Diamonds..."

Diamonds would be worthless as gravel on this planet!

[karakris]

Rare Metals would be a lot more Useful - and have less BAD effects on the Economy.

Look for a Star System with lots of Useful Metals - in very large quantities.  Could be Planets - but if deep down, then Asteroids ae easier to Mine.

Imagine mining Mega Tonnages of - Platinum ( such a Waste to use it for Jewellery ), Rubidium, Rhenium, Rhodium ( likewise Re Jewellery ), Tungsten, Vanadium, Niobium, Molybdenum, Beryllium, and lots more which are Very Useful.

[smjjames]

Rare Metals would be a lot more Useful - and have less BAD effects on the Economy.

Look for a Star System with lots of Useful Metals - in very large quantities.  Could be Planets - but if deep down, then Asteroids ae easier to Mine.

Imagine mining Mega Tonnages of - Platinum ( such a Waste to use it for Jewellery ), Rubidium, Rhenium, Rhodium ( likewise Re Jewellery ), Tungsten, Vanadium, Niobium, Molybdenum, Beryllium, and lots more which are Very Useful.

We've already learned how to create diamonds in the lab, so the DeBeers monopoly might be over by the time we get to that planet.

[blotz]

kol i thought you meant in science school labs

[smjjames]

kol i thought you meant in science school labs

Not unless your school has a machine to produce the pressures (and maybe heat) neccesary to create them

Joke, obviously.

[Hellpotatoe]

kol i thought you meant in science school labs

Not unless your school has a machine to produce the pressures (and maybe heat) neccesary to create them

Joke, obviously.

Kol, one of my teachers puts enough pressure on their students to create a diamond
We need only of heat now

[blotz]

literal pressure not mental pressure