British spelling.
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79, as a comparison, hydrogen the lightest chemical element has the symbol H and atomic number 1.
The atomic number is the number of protons an atom has in its nucleus, its centre, the more protons the more atomic mass, therefore the heavier an atom becomes. Most of us will have held a piece of lead and noticed how heavy it feels, lead with the symbol Pb has the atomic number 82.
The majority of us will have owned a gold coin or some sort of gold jewellery at some time in our lives, but where was that gold created, and where did it come from?
Stars begin their main sequence lives when nuclear fusion converts hydrogen to helium, but the Sun is limited as to how many elements it can produce. Stars that are more massive than the Sun can create heavier elements by the fusion process, which can go all the way up the Periodic Table to iron, but that is where the element-making process in stars comes to a halt.
Large stars end their lives in stellar explosions called supernovae, these extreme conditions are where heavier elements than iron are created, including gold.
At the time of supernovae explosions, massive amounts of elements are blasted far out into space, over time some of them will come together and help to build other stars, planets and other celestial objects.
4.5 billion years ago when the Earth was taking shape, molten iron and nickel sank to its core including most of the precious metals, It is estimated that 1.6 quadrillion tons of gold lie down there far from our reach.
Imagine a cube 21 metres on each side, that volume would hold all the gold that humanity has ever found, it equates to roughly 171,000 tonnes.
It is thought that some of the gold we find was delivered here by meteorites and asteroids that bombarded the young Earth billions of years ago.
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The Amazing Universe
Non-FictionRandom articles about that gargantuan area we call the Universe. They may stir your imagination, some will amaze you.
