News Astronomy

Dying stars called collapsars may forge much of the universe’s gold

Spinning stellar objects collapsing into black holes could help explain heavy elements’ origins

gamma ray burst

BLAST FROM COLLAPSE  A collapsar occurs when a massive, spinning star collapses into a black hole, powering a blast of light known as a long gamma ray burst (illustrated) and exploding the star’s outer layers.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

By Emily Conover

- More than 2 years ago

The gold in your favorite jewelry could be the messy leftovers from a newborn black hole’s first meal.