PSR J1719-1438: The Planet-Sized Diamond in Space

In summary: Do you think that Lucy is actually a diamond? I'm not sure. It's a pretty interesting topic.In summary, Diamonds are made by compressing and heating carbon to a high pressure and temperature. They must also have the correct impurities to create different colors. Though the companion planet is most likely a diamond, it is still unknown if it is actually a diamond.
  • #1
Orion1
973
3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylGwsIIyZf0
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSR_J1719-1438"
 
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  • #2
What evidence do they have that this is a diamond planet? They mention it is made of carbon but not how they know the configuration the carbon is in.
 
  • #3
Hrm...I thought highly compressed and heated carbon had a very good chance of configuring itself in Diamond. Now you have me thinking... I'm sure it's more complicated than simply having heat and pressure, so I don't really know.
 
  • #4
I think that all you really need and the right mixture of elements (unless its pure C)

Thats how they make man made jewelry
 
  • #5
CosmicEye said:
I think that all you really need and the right mixture of elements (unless its pure C)

Thats how they make man made jewelry

What exactly do you mean? Diamond, in any form, requires extreme pressure combine with lots of heat to make it form into that particular configuration. The impurities of the diamond can give it different colors and such.
 
  • #6
ryan_m_b said:
What evidence do they have that this is a diamond planet? They mention it is made of carbon but not how they know the configuration the carbon is in.

The companion planet is probably a remnant core of a ultra-low mass carbon-oxygen white dwarf. It has a minimum density of 23 g/cm^3 and a pure diamond has a density of 3.5–3.53 g/cm^3.
Wikipedia said:
Scientific evidence indicates that white dwarf stars have a core of crystallized carbon and oxygen nuclei. The largest of these found in the universe so far, BPM 37093, is located 50 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. A news release from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics described the 4,000 km wide stellar core as a diamond.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSR_J1719-1438"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPM_37093"
 
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  • #7
Orion1 said:

The companion planet is probably a remnant core of a ultra-low mass carbon-oxygen white dwarf. It has a minimum density of 23 g/cm^3 and a pure diamond has a density of 3.5–3.53 g/cm^3.


Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSR_J1719-1438"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPM_37093"

Wow...that is one dense diamond...
 
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  • #8
I don't really care about the details, but can we call it Lucy.
 
  • #9
Drakkith said:
What exactly do you mean? Diamond, in any form, requires extreme pressure combine with lots of heat to make it form into that particular configuration. The impurities of the diamond can give it different colors and such.

Right, that's what they do. They put a certain amount of carbon, with the right amount of impurities for color into a little chamber thing. If you can imagine all 4 sides of a pyramid with a small hole carved out at the center closing in on the soon to be made jewel at the center, it closes and compresses it to tons of psi for a few hours until the jewel forms.

I don't remember the exact specs but it was on 'how its made' a while ago. I don't know if they make actual diamonds or if they can only make less dense jewels and birthstones. It was pretty interesting. If you go to a jeweler you can tell the real Earth made ones from the lab made ones. Man made ones are much clearer vs naturally made which are much more opaque.
 
  • #11
CosmicEye said:
Right, that's what they do. They put a certain amount of carbon, with the right amount of impurities for color into a little chamber thing. If you can imagine all 4 sides of a pyramid with a small hole carved out at the center closing in on the soon to be made jewel at the center, it closes and compresses it to tons of psi for a few hours until the jewel forms.

I don't remember the exact specs but it was on 'how its made' a while ago. I don't know if they make actual diamonds or if they can only make less dense jewels and birthstones. It was pretty interesting. If you go to a jeweler you can tell the real Earth made ones from the lab made ones. Man made ones are much clearer vs naturally made which are much more opaque.

Oh ok, I see what you were getting at.
 

1. What is PSR J1719-1438?

PSR J1719-1438 is a pulsar, which is a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star. It is located in the constellation of Serpens and was discovered by astronomers in 2011.

2. How did scientists discover that PSR J1719-1438 is a planet-sized diamond?

Scientists used the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to study the pulsar's light spectrum. They found that the pulsar's light was being distorted in a way that indicated the existence of a massive object orbiting it. Further analysis showed that this object is likely a planet-sized diamond.

3. How big is the planet-sized diamond in space?

The planet-sized diamond in space is estimated to be about 4,000 kilometers in diameter, making it roughly five times the size of Earth.

4. How did the planet-sized diamond in space form?

The planet-sized diamond in space is believed to be the remaining core of a once massive star that has since collapsed and turned into a pulsar. As the star collapsed, its carbon atoms were compressed and heated, eventually forming a diamond structure.

5. Could the planet-sized diamond in space ever be mined?

While the idea of mining a planet-sized diamond may seem lucrative, it is not feasible with our current technology. The planet is too far away and the cost of retrieving the diamond would far exceed its value. Additionally, it is located in a highly unstable environment, orbiting a pulsar that emits intense radiation and has extreme gravitational forces.

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