Did you know that the largest diamond known to date is not exposed in any case? Up there above our heads, and without warning to protect you! Its 4,000 kilometers diameter and 50 light years away that separate him from our planet are two more compelling reasons not to fear for his theft. Lucy was baptized in honor of that song psychedelic-sixties.
And it is believed that the core of every white dwarf (the last stage in the life cycle of most intermediate-mass stars) is nothing more than a mammoth mega-structure of crystallized carbon , ultimately, a superdiamante .
Sirius A, in the center, and Sirius B (white dwarf), below and left
To understand how he got there that diamond, perhaps most convenient to explain something about stellar physics. As we know, a star there is always a balance between gravitational force that tends to collapse, and thermal effect due to nuclear fusion , which tends to expand. Well But when the star runs out all his hydrogen by nuclear fusion in helium , this balance is broken. The seriousness it imposes and is then generated so much heat that the outer layers of the star are heated, swelling it and giving rise to what is called a red giant . At this point in the life cycle of the star (his end was approaching), the heat generated is so high that the star begins to fuse helium in carbon, generated from that moment a wave of energy eventually bursting the outer layers and is making only its core: the white dwarf The size of Earth, but a million times more dense. And at the heart of all white dwarf, a pure diamond of thousands of kilometers across, the result of this second phase of nuclear fusion and high internal pressure (recall that the first stage is the fusion of hydrogen in helium).
This is roughly , what happens to the stars mass of less than about 10 solar masses (what awaits our Sun in about 5,000 million years ). The massive stars tend to have a more violent end. Another day I speak of supernova explosions the neutron stars and black holes . Now I leave, not with the Beatles song , it would be too obvious, but with this other Pink Floyd that I like even more if possible. It is worth pressing the 'play' and relax a while (just over seventeen minutes), while playing this "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" . Immense, not only in duration.
This is roughly , what happens to the stars mass of less than about 10 solar masses (what awaits our Sun in about 5,000 million years ). The massive stars tend to have a more violent end. Another day I speak of supernova explosions the neutron stars and black holes . Now I leave, not with the Beatles song , it would be too obvious, but with this other Pink Floyd that I like even more if possible. It is worth pressing the 'play' and relax a while (just over seventeen minutes), while playing this "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" . Immense, not only in duration.
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