In a news development that would get the fictional CEO of a future space mining company watering at the mouth, a group of astronomers has revealed that they believe entire planets might be made of diamonds.
The researchers, from Arizona State University and the University of Chicago, say that diamonds, the rare, precious rocks here on Earth (Earth’s diamond content is about 0.001%) might be as common as mud on other planets if the conditions are just right.
Given that there are at least 100 billion planets in the Milky Way alone, the chances are that those specific conditions have indeed been met somewhere in the universe.
In a new study published recently in The Planetary Science Journal, the team of astronomers hypothesized that exoplanets that form in systems with a high carbon-to-oxygen ratio could end up with compositions rich in diamond if they have the right amount of water, heat, and pressure.
To read more, click here.