Surprise! Alien Planet Made of Diamond Discovered

[Feuer Frei!]

http://i.space.com/images/i/11708/i02/diamond-pulsar-planet.jpg?1314290788
This illustration shows the alien planet around pulsar PSR J1719-1438, where ultra-high pressures caused carbon to crystallize in the remnant of a dead star. The planet is made of diamond and orbits a dense pulsing star with a radius smaller than that of our sun.
CREDIT: Swinburne Astronomy Productions


A newly discovered alien planet that formed from a dead star is a real diamond in the rough.
The super-high pressure of the planet, which orbits a rapidly pulsing neutron star (http://www.space.com/10931-neutron-star-bizarre-superfluid-core.html), has likely caused the carbon within it to crystallize into an actual diamond, a new study suggests.
The composition of the planet, which is about five times the size of Earth, is not its only outstanding feature. [Illustration of the diamond alien planet] (http://www.space.com/12731-diamond-alien-planet-discovered-neutron-star.html)


The planet's parent star is a special kind of flashing star known as a millisecond pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star formed from a supernova. The entire system, which is only the second of its kind ever discovered, is located about 4,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Serpens (The Snake).


SOURCE (http://www.space.com/12731-diamond-alien-planet-discovered-neutron-star.html)

[Stealhead]

De Beers will want to mine it.

[Randomizer]

Back in the 1970's Arthur C. Clarke in his novel 2010 posited that the centre of the planet Jupiter was solid diamond due to pressure and temperature acting on carbon in the core.

[Torplexed]

I think I've seen those things for sale at Spencer's Gifts. :D

http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/9/6/6/4966.jpg?v=1

[Anthony W.]

I would like to, informally, formally, politically, and internationally, call dibbs.

And I shall call it planet "WOAHIMRICH"

[Castout]

Posted this elsewhere but let me post it here too,


You see the diamond planet is much bigger than the size of our planet(slightly bigger mass than Jupiter but a lot denser). Precious metals and precious stones are precious because they are RARE. Had they been available in abundance they would have ceased being precious . . . .

They would be as beautiful but simply junk in monetary value.
That tells a lot about us doesn't it?

[Feuer Frei!]

This would be THE perfect planet for women...................(get it)?


And me.

Build a nice little space station on it and away I go. :D

[TLAM Strike]

Posted this elsewhere but let me post it here too,


You see the diamond planet is much bigger than the size of our planet(slightly bigger mass than Jupiter but a lot denser). Precious metals and precious stones are precious because they are RARE. Had they been available in abundance they would have ceased being precious . . . .

They would be as beautiful but simply junk in monetary value.
That tells a lot about us doesn't it?

Funny thing about diamonds is that they are not rare, they are just hard to get a hold of since De Beers owns all the mines. Plus you can grow diamonds if you want. The price is artificially high because everyone wants pretty stones and only one owns them.

[Stealhead]

Now guys can save money on engagement rings they can simply propose at night under the stars point at the planets location and say "My love for you is so strong that no earthly diamond is worthy so I give you a planet that is a diamond." :har:

[Castout]

Funny thing about diamonds is that they are not rare, they are just hard to get a hold of since De Beers owns all the mines. Plus you can grow diamonds if you want. The price is artificially high because everyone wants pretty stones and only one owns them.

Not really if diamonds were as available as the dirt their monetary value would be junk. And even if they were as beautiful nobody would pay high prices for them and they would cease being status symbol and became much less desirable.

They are rare.:DL

[Betonov]

Diamonds would never be cheap as dirt even in abundance though. They ireplacable in inudstry

[Castout]

Diamonds would never be cheap as dirt even in abundance though. They ireplacable in inudstry

Not exactly, they would be as cheap as clay or the sands. Of course most people find it hard to imagine diamonds being as cheap as clay because they are not and they are not because they are rare.

Ancient people would find paying for clean water outrageous. But today we pay for our drinking water and clean water. They have become more precious (scarce) than they used too.

[Platapus]

What exactly is an "alien planet"???

Would not any planet not the Earth be an alien planet, from our prespective? In that case, just using the word planet should suffice. :hmmm:

It seems excessively superfluous, redundant, verbose, and tautologically wordy.


:D

[TLAM Strike]

Not really if diamonds were as available as the dirt their monetary value would be junk. And even if they were as beautiful nobody would pay high prices for them and they would cease being status symbol and became much less desirable.

They are rare.:DL

They were rare, then they found tons in South Africa. Diamond sellers banded together and bought all the diamond mines, limited supply and began marketing "Diamonds as a girl's best friend" and other BS. They formed a cartel: De Beers. The cartel is not as powerful as it once was since other diamond corporations have sprung up in the last decade, but the owners of De Beers still can't come to US shores because of the threat of arrest on monopoly charges and price fixing.

Diamonds are now heading towards their natural prices. They are not rare, but they are "uncommon".

[Sailor Steve]

Not really if diamonds were as available as the dirt their monetary value would be junk. And even if they were as beautiful nobody would pay high prices for them and they would cease being status symbol and became much less desirable.

They are rare.:DL
Rare? 26,000 kg are mined every year, which is about 25 tons, which is not much compared to just about anything else that's mined, but in diamond term it's 130 million carats. That's a lot of rings, and hardly rare.

Diamonds are the hardest natural element, and that counts for something, but the fact that we us diamonds for rings at all is solely due to a brilliant advertising campaign by the De Beers company, and its success is due to P.T. Barnum's observation, "There's a sucker born every minute."

As for the high prices, they have been artificially controlled by De Beers since that conglomerate has been in existence.
http://www.halfsigma.com/2006/11/the_diamond_sca.html

[Castout]

Rare? 26,000 kg are mined every year, which is about 25 tons, which is not much compared to just about anything else that's mined, but in diamond term it's 130 million carats. That's a lot of rings, and hardly rare.


Umm I find that statement is...self defeating. You think 25 tons of mined resources for a whole year a lot?

Compare it to say coal or iron ore.

I don't mean they are the rarest but as you say they are uncommon and rare enough or uncommon enough to be monopolized.

If diamonds were as widely available as dirt they wouldn't have much value. Logic dictates that.

Men places value of things based on their perception and perception can change and be influenced and can be very subjective. That's why a lot of personal things of famous people would sell for quite a bit of a fortune while the exact same thing owned by other people wouldn't.

Heck if you can convince people of certain things to be highly valuable, the keyword is to convince, you can sell them at some ridiculous price tags. This is exploited pretty much everywhere and hide themselves in the words such as brands(branded goods) and trends. In fact most luxury items are depending on this fact. Why do you think an Apple Ipads are costing a bit more than a Samsung counterpart even when the Samsung's has superior specifications?

Arts is another example. Some people strokes of brush would sell enormously much more than most people. Do they get to that point straight away? Hell no. But the person's ability may never change substantially though his arts values do.

It is all in perception.

You think Lady Gaga is cool? Should ask yourself why? Is it because most people find her cool? What's your objective opinion? Most people are just victims of trends. Expose something long and big enough, people fall over it like it's the next big thing. Most people are just followers without a critical mind. Plus people have a need to look up to other people for aspirations and a lot of times those people they look up to are ARTIFICIAL because the sentiment is groundless / baseless.

PS: But I do understand that diamond prices may be made artificially higher than they would be. But they are still rare compared to other mining resources. Don't look at how many tiny diamond rings those 25 tons can make but look at it by its numerical output compared to other mining resources: mere 25 tons

[TLAM Strike]

Umm I find that statement is...self defeating. You think 25 tons of mined resources for a whole year a lot?

Compare it to say coal or iron ore.

You need 1,000 lbs of Coal to fill the bunkers of the average pre WWI cruiser, .2 grams equals 1 carat, the average diamond for a ring is about 1/4 a carat. The measure is relative.

25 tons of diamonds is a lot, The diamond industry should be able to produce about 520,000,000 1/4 carat diamond rings a year. In other words in about a decade everyone on earth should be able to had a diamond ring for cost (discounting the need for profit).

[Sailor Steve]

Umm I find that statement is...self defeating. You think 25 tons of mined resources for a whole year a lot?

Compare it to say coal or iron ore.
Had you paid attention you would have noticed that I did compare it.

If diamonds were as widely available as dirt they wouldn't have much value. Logic dictates that.
The point isn't that diamonds are worth more than coal, but that their value is artificially inflated and the market and women's desire for them were both created by an advertising campaign. TLAM's numbers show just how "rare" they are.

[Castout]

Had you paid attention you would have noticed that I did compare it.


The point isn't that diamonds are worth more than coal, but that their value is artificially inflated and the market and women's desire for them were both created by an advertising campaign. TLAM's numbers show just how "rare" they are.

No I paid attention.

@TLAM
Why do you count by as many 1/4 carat of diamond ring that could have been produced each year. heck why not counting how many 25 carats of outrageous dress accessory that could be made? You see even that comparison is restricted by perception that diamonds should be small.

Now I must ask why can't clay be artificially inflated? Or to make it easier pearl? Yes diamonds may be artificially inflated but you just can't inflate anything when no one's buying. It's simple economics. Why do people buy still buy more Ipads than its Samsung counterpart when Ipad is INFLATED.

Why do some arts cost sky high prices? Because they are inflated, ARTIFICIALLY inflated by fans.

Everything we buy from the big industries which profit from economies of scale is INFLATED. From cellphone to Ipad to automobiles to our toothpaste and softdrinks, they are artificially inflated and some even inflated more by outrageous taxing. I'm not talking about marginal profits here. When you're talking about big industries they are looking for hundreds of percentage of profits. The next time you pay for a bottle of your soft drink can you imagine just how much dollar value the industry spent for the product you're buying? Mere little, tiny fraction. Perhaps the distribution and the workforce costs outweigh the production cost of that bottle of softdrink you're buying, by far.

Because our economy is run by . . . . GREED. As simple as that. Greed that stems from the desire to dominate other people.

[Krauter]

Oh jeez here we go.. :rolleyes:

[TLAM Strike]

Now I must ask why can't clay be artificially inflated? Or to make it easier pearl? Yes diamonds may be artificially inflated but you just can't inflate anything when no one's buying. It's simple economics. Why do people buy still buy more Ipads than its Samsung counterpart when Ipad is INFLATED.

Clay can't be artificially inflated because you can find clay in your back yard, yet everyone can use it. Why is diamond inflated when clay is not? Because while not rare its only found in abundance in a few areas (South Africa for one). So your asking "well I'll just go there and pick one up from the mud and be rich!", well good luck because the way the diamond mine owners keep people from letting out too many diamonds is with helicopter gunships. My Astronomy professor (who is also a geologist) likes to tell this story; there were these two Russian guys just after the wall came down. They found a cheap way to grow diamonds, so they did what any former communist would do, they filled a duffel bag with them and flew to western Europe to sell them and be rich. Well De Beers thought differently and "persuaded" them to sell all their diamonds though the Cartel. This isn't "simple" economics, its more complex than that, De Beers operates a dangerous restrictive monopoly on something that should be easy to acquire. Diamonds are the modern day equivalent of the Tulip.

[Castout]

Umm my argument were to imagine that somehow we got easy cheap access to that diamond planet which would make diamonds as common as dirt. :DL

I didn't mean to be a pain for anyone btw.

As for De Beers it's a good thing the people can't enter US. I just hope the reason is not political(hoping for a share of access to diamond):DL

[TLAM Strike]

As for De Beers it's a good thing the people can't enter US. I just hope the reason is not political(hoping for a share of access to diamond):DL

The reason they can't enter the US is legal not political, its illegal in the US to own everything that sells all of one thing (ie a monopoly), because it stifles competition. Here its called "antitrust laws" thay say a company cannot own every stage of production of a good (Say mining, refining, building, and selling) or can't own every outlet (every mine or every store) that sells a good because it prevents others from selling or mining or building the good.

:yep: