The origins of gold

Discovered in the gravitation waves of two neutron stars that collided 130 million years ago

1. Neutron stars coming together

Over millions of years the two neutron stars spiralled towards each other at an ever increasing velocity

2. Neutron stars collide

The stars merge in a cataclysmic collision sending gravitation waves that ripple out through space

3. Explosion

The collision unleashed a burst of light, ejecting a flood of neutrons that forge into heavier elements like gold, silver and platinum