We can make diamonds rain on Neptune
Yep, scientists figured out how to make it rain diamonds on the ice giant
looking up at a storm
Which planet rains diamonds?
- Yep, scientists figured out how to make it rain diamonds on the ice giant
- It gets weirder as you go deeper.
- Some researchers believe that on Saturn, over 1,000 tons of diamonds are produced this way every single year.
What if the rain outside could pay off your mortgage? On Neptune and Uranus, the sky rains microscopic diamonds that grow as they sink toward the core.
These ice giants are packed with methane. When the intense pressure and heat deep inside the planet reach a certain threshold, the carbon atoms in the methane get squeezed.
Deep in the atmosphere, the pressure is 1.5 million times greater than Earth's surface. This force crushes the carbon into solid diamond crystals. These gems then drift downward through the layers of the planet like heavy, sparkling snow.
It gets weirder as you go deeper. Once these diamonds reach the core, the heat is so intense they likely melt.
This creates an ocean of liquid diamond. Floating on top of this liquid are solid diamond "icebergs" that never melt. It is a world where the most expensive stone on Earth is as common as a mud puddle.
Some researchers believe that on Saturn, over 1,000 tons of diamonds are produced this way every single year.
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