Planets Are a Girls Best Friend

[Dimocritus]

In stark contrast to this story, astronomers discover a planet that is composed almost entirely of diamond. More amazingly, it is in a system with a millisecond pulsar (neutron star), which rotates 10,000 times a minute, is a mere 12 miles across, and has a mass roughly equal to 1.5 solar masses. The planet itself is huge, at approximately five times the size of earth. Oh, and did I mention THAT IT'S A GIANT FUCKING DIAMOND???

Read more here.

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, 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.

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).

[Cainad (dec.)]

Wow, that is amazing.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

I saw this and was quite excited till my kid was all "Wow can you imagine what they could do to the universe if the used the entire planet to enhance a laser...." and then went into a bunch of scientific language that made me ZZZZZzzzzzzz.

I don't want to know if they can enhance lasers, I want to know if we can cut a piece off for my bling dammit 

[Precious Moments Zalgo]

I want to get this thing and make it into a ring for my wife, but I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to lift her hand while she was wearing it.  Also, I'm not sure where we'd keep it when she's not wearing it.  We wouldn't be able to get enough lumber to build a jewelry chest that could hold it, and even if we could there's no place in the house where that jewelry case would fit. 

We could probably just leave it outside.  It would be so heavy we probably wouldn't have to worry about someone stealing it.

[Phox]

I like this laser idea.... I mean, if a diamond the five times the size of Earth was used for laser enhancement, we could build a Super Death Star. Planet destroying laser times 10. 

[Dimocritus]

I will admit, I know little about lasers, but I don't think making one from this planet would be possible. Based on what little info I have on lasers, the medium of a solid state laser (the planet, in this case) would need to be of a very particular shape, size, and concentration. These specifcations would likely need to be the result of INTENTIONAL medium design. As the planet's surface is probably very rough and likely an incompatible shape, it would probably not make a good laser medium. Add to the fact that, even if this planets surface was perfect crystal clear diamond, it likely has an iron/nickel core which would probably interfere with any attempt to concentrate the light. Plus, you would need two giant mirrors. At that point, you'd use less time end energy just going to a planet and dismantling it in person.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I will admit, I know little about lasers, but I don't think making one from this planet would be possible. Based on what little info I have on lasers, the medium of a solid state laser (the planet, in this case) would need to be of a very particular shape, size, and concentration. These specifcations would likely need to be the result of INTENTIONAL medium design. As the planet's surface is probably very rough and likely an incompatible shape, it would probably not make a good laser medium. Add to the fact that, even if this planets surface was perfect crystal clear diamond, it likely has an iron/nickel core which would probably interfere with any attempt to concentrate the light. Plus, you would need two giant mirrors. At that point, you'd use less time end energy just going to a planet and dismantling it in person.

[Cainad (dec.)]

I will admit, I know little about lasers, but I don't think making one from this planet would be possible. Based on what little info I have on lasers, the medium of a solid state laser (the planet, in this case) would need to be of a very particular shape, size, and concentration. These specifcations would likely need to be the result of INTENTIONAL medium design. As the planet's surface is probably very rough and likely an incompatible shape, it would probably not make a good laser medium. Add to the fact that, even if this planets surface was perfect crystal clear diamond, it likely has an iron/nickel core which would probably interfere with any attempt to concentrate the light. Plus, you would need two giant mirrors. At that point, you'd use less time end energy just going to a planet and dismantling it in person.

I'm glad someone stepped in with the IRL science (lowercase letters version) before I did. I would have felt like a nerd.

[Dimocritus]

Again, I don't know that much about lasers, but I would figure you would want as small of a medium as possibe, anyway. If it's too big, the light will break apart and scatter throughout the medium and disperse (like a prism) instead of focus into a beam. Plus, as far as I know, a solid state laser is not as powerful as other medium options (gas, plasmas, etc.).

Plus, if you want to destroy a planet quickly (in an astronomical time frame) just send people to live there.

[Cainad (dec.)]

I took a course in Mineralogy that focused heavily on optics (not lasers specifically) and you're absolutely right about the light scattering through the medium. The amount of energy needed to get the light to even penetrate through the planet would be...


...wait for it...



astronomical



I think the best option is to use a Niven-style hyperspace shunt to hurl the planet at smaller, unsuspecting planets for lulz.

edit: Because that's just so much more feasible, you know?

[Dimocritus]

On topic: I just want to point out to you the scope of the scales involved in this system. The neutron star is 12 miles accross, yet is more massive than the sun (1.5Mo) while the planet's size is 3,000 times larger than than it's star, yet is only a tiny fraction of a fraction of the neutron star's mass.

[Dimocritus]

I think the best option is to use a Niven-style hyperspace shunt to hurl the planet at smaller, unsuspecting planets for lulz.

edit: Because that's just so much more feasible, you know?

Agree'd, but I'd rather find a planet composed of shit to hurl, I'll keep the shiny one.

[Dimocritus]

Also: 10,000 ROTATIONS A MINUTE! Crazy.

[Doktor Howl]

Also: 10,000 ROTATIONS A MINUTE! Crazy.

Balls.  I have a gearbox that goes almost twice that fast.

[Triple Zero]

Again, I don't know that much about lasers, but I would figure you would want as small of a medium as possibe, anyway. If it's too big, the light will break apart and scatter throughout the medium and disperse (like a prism) instead of focus into a beam. Plus, as far as I know, a solid state laser is not as powerful as other medium options (gas, plasmas, etc.).

Hey wait a minute, isn't there a shitload of those in the universe as well?? If they make even powerfuller lasers, then FUCK YEAH