Diamond Planet

Astronomers have discovered a planet they believe is made of diamond. An unusual pulsar star first led the international team of researchers toward this discovery. Due to “a regular pattern of radio pulses,” the astronomers concluded a companion planet is orbiting tightly around this pulsar star.

This companion planet is small, but it has a larger mass than Jupiter, meaning the planet is very dense. Using this information, the team of scientists concluded this planet was once a star “whose matter was siphoned off toward the pulsar.” This means the planet likely consists of carbon and oxygen, and the high density means the planet is likely crystalline — made of diamond.

Whew! That’s a lot of information. Click here to read a press release. Or, click the video player below to watch and listen as one of the astronomers explains this discovery.