A diamond planet has been discovered by a global team of astronomers from Australia, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the U.S. The planet is distanced about 4000 light years from Earth and is believed to be composed primarily of diamonds. The discovery was reported in the journal Science, from a study led by Professor Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.

The unusual diamond plant may have once been a star similar to the sun that eventually collapsed and died, at which point carbon would become its crystalline form, a diamond, under the high pressure of the planet’s gravity.  Since the planet’s molecules are tightly packed, researchers believe that it is crystalline in nature, and therefore a giant celestial diamond.

"The evolutionary history and amazing density of the planet all suggest it is comprised of carbon … i.e., a massive diamond orbiting a neutron star every two hours in an orbit so tight it would fit inside our own Sun," said Professor Bailes.
Although scientists are not able to verify what percentage of the plane is a diamond, they believe it is a high percentage and that the planet’s surface is rich in diamonds.

The diamond planet is actually a companion planet that is orbiting around a pulsar which conceals it. The phenomenon of pulsars concealing planets is very rare and the diamond planet is the first of its kind ever seen. According to astronomers, the special circumstances that conspire during pulsar evolution that allow star stellar companions to be transformed into exotic planets such as the diamond planet are so rare, they are unlikely to be found anywhere else in the Universe.

 

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