NASA-backed research has identified powerful magnetar flares as a possible source of gold and other heavy elements in the universe. The study, led by Columbia University’s Anirudh Patel, used decades-old satellite data to connect cosmic explosions from neutron stars to the early creation of metals like gold.

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• Gold, platinum may have come from magnetar flares in space
• Magnetars are highly magnetic neutron stars
• Flares from magnetars may form 10% of galaxy’s heavy elements
• First stars lacked heavy metals like gold, which formed later
• Data from 2004 flare matched theoretical predictions
• Gamma-ray signal found in ESA’s INTEGRAL satellite archive
• NASA’s RHESSI, Wind satellites confirmed the same flare
• Neutron-rich flares cause atoms to absorb neutrons, form heavy elements
• 2017 neutron star collision not early enough to explain ancient gold
• NASA’s COSI mission (2027) may further confirm the theory