For some technological speculators, the universe could be considered a gold mine. But in terms of literally yielding precious metals, a more accurate description might be a factory — albeit one that operates intermittently and under both rare and extreme circumstances.
Astronomers now have a much better understanding of the cosmic conditions that create gold, platinum, and other heavy elements. They’ve identified and characterized a giant flare from a supermagnetized star that may have generated as much as 10 percent of our galaxy’s heavy elements, they report in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
