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Study Reveals Magnetars May Create Galaxy's Gold

5/6/2025

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Summary

Story summary

A groundbreaking study by Anirudh Patel at Columbia University uncovers that giant flares from magnetars, rather than solely neutron star collisions, may be the source of gold and heavy elements in our galaxy. This revelation, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, indicates magnetar flares could account for 10% of these elements, challenging earlier theories. NASA's COSI mission is set to delve deeper into this cosmic mystery.

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Story summary

A groundbreaking study by Anirudh Patel at Columbia University uncovers that giant flares from magnetars, rather than solely neutron star collisions, may be the source of gold and heavy elements in our galaxy. This revelation, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, indicates magnetar flares could account for 10% of these elements, challenging earlier theories. NASA's COSI mission is set to delve deeper into this cosmic mystery.