Diamonds might be a cherished gemstone for us earthlings, but they actually might be fairly common throughout the galaxy, an argument for any boyfriend to use if they’re worried about spending thousands on one for their girlfriend.
OK, but seriously. Scientists from Arizona State University and University of Chicago recently conducted a study based on carbon-rich exoplanets, which are all outside our own galaxy.
And apparently, some of them are full of diamonds made from carbon. Here on Earth, diamonds come from quartz and sand, the researchers said.
- “These exoplanets are unlike anything in our solar system,” said ASU’s Harrison Allen-Sutter, lead author of the paper.
The study — which was recently published in The Planetary Science Journal — found that planets with a star with low carbon-to-oxygen ratios will create planets like Earth, which has less diamonds. But those with a higher ratio create those carbon-filled planets, which leads to more diamonds.
- The scientists mimicked this idea in an experiment to show how the diamonds would form, and how these planets would come to life, according to CNET.
Bigger picture:
Diamonds are one of our favorite things, of course. But do these planets have any chance of maintaining life? Probably not.
- The researchers wrote: “So far, we have not found life on other planets, but the search continues. Planetary scientists and astrobiologists are using sophisticated instruments in space and on Earth to find planets with the right properties and the right location around their stars where life could exist. For carbon-rich planets that are the focus of this study, however, they likely do not have the properties needed for life.”