The phenomenon of "kilonova" has long been suspected of giving birth to heavy elements, but had never been observed before.
In 2017, two neutron stars merged hundreds of millions of light-years away from us. These objects are so dense (a single teaspoon alone weighs 100,000 Eiffel towers) that their coalescence has vibrated the very structure of space-time, giving rise to gravitational waves. These were detected in Europe and the United States, warning astronomers that a cataclysmic event had just occurred. They then pointed their telescopes in the indicated direction and, under their astonished eyes, were able to detect a brief and violent explosion of light, studied under all the seams. This is the first time they have observed a "kilonova".
This phenomenon has long been suspected of giving rise to heavy elements, such as gold or platinum, but had never been observed … The first measures, much awaited, proved to be in agreement with the forecasts. But impossible to identify with certainty an element in
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