What Happened On February 13th?
In 2004 on this day, astronomers made a truly astronomical discovery, not with telescopes pointed towards the sky, but by analyzing data collected from a space observatory called the Chandra X-ray Observatory. They identified a celestial object located roughly 50 light-years away in the constellation “Centaurus,” classified as a white dwarf star named BPM 37093 or more commonly known as “Lucy.” However, this wasn’t your average star.
Upon further analysis, these astronomers realized that BPM 37093 wasn’t a star made of hydrogen and helium like our Sun, but rather a crystallized remnant of a massive star that had reached the end of its life. What’s even more astonishing is that the majority of its mass, around 90%, had transformed into one giant diamond!
The massive gem received its nickname “Lucy” after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” a fitting tribute to its celestial nature and size.
Not even remotely close to a diamond you could wear on your finger, BPM 37093 is the largest diamond that we have ever discovered in any universe. Imagine our Moon, roughly 3,474 kilometers in diameter. Now, magnify that size by six! That’s roughly the scale of Lucy (4,000 kilometers in diameter), making it a celestial behemoth!
Its immense proportions are further emphasized by its estimated weight: 10 billion trillion trillion carats! Though it is barely comparable, the largest rough diamond ever mined on Earth weighed a mere 3,106 carats. Even though it does not sparkle like a traditional diamond, Lucy’s sheer size and mass speaks volumes.
Questions, Comments, Concerns?
This gem evokes wonder in my mind, and it makes me think of what other unbelievable cosmos are really out there.
Did you know that we have only uncovered 15% of the Earth’s ocean?
If you were given the choice, would you rather know what’s in the world’s ocean or what else lies in outer space?
Let me know what your response is below…
