Brightest-ever explosion’s mystery of missing gold

Scientists were left puzzled after observing the brightest explosion ever recorded in the universe, only to find that a significant portion of the gold produced during the event had seemingly vanished. The explosion, known as a kilonova, occurred when two neutron stars collided, creating a burst of light that outshone the brightness of all the stars in the sky combined.

Researchers had expected the collision to produce a large amount of heavy elements, including gold, due to the intense conditions created during the event. However, when they analyzed the aftermath, they discovered that a substantial amount of the gold that should have been present was missing.

Various theories have been proposed to explain the discrepancy, including the possibility that the gold was ejected from the site of the explosion at high speeds, or that it was swallowed by a black hole formed during the collision. However, the true fate of the missing gold remains a mystery.

This puzzling discovery has led scientists to reconsider their understanding of how heavy elements are produced in the universe, and has sparked new research efforts to unravel the secrets of these cataclysmic events.