Astronomers discover stars containing absurdly heavy elements unlikely to survive on Earth

Researchers found that some neutron stars contain elements that would be extremely unstable and short-lived on our home planet. The overwhelming majority of the universe’s matter that we can see consists of hydrogen and helium. To create heavier elements, stars must do the heavy lifting of assembling their atomic nuclei. Researchers think that these processes can create elements as heavy as uranium.

Now, a group of scientists has spotted evidence that some neutron stars contain elements that are heavier than uranium. Although these elements are extremely unstable and short-lived and don’t normally exist on Earth, it turns out that natural physical processes might create them out in the cosmos. READ MORE FROM INVERSE