ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER PLANET MADE OF DIAMOND

ASTRONOMERS FIND DIAMOND
PLANET SPINNING IN SPACE  

(Reuters) - Astronomers have spotted an exotic planet that seems to be made of diamond racing around a tiny star in our galactic backyard.  The new planet is far denser than any other known so far and consists largely of carbon. Because it is so dense, scientists calculate the carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of this strange world will effectively be diamond.  “The evolutionary history and amazing density of the planet all suggest it is comprised of carbon - i.e. a massive diamond orbiting a neutron star every two hours in an orbit so tight it would fit inside our own Sun,” said Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.  Lying 4,000 light years away, or around an eighth of the way toward the center of the Milky Way from the Earth, the planet is probably the remnant of a once-massive star that has lost its outer layers to the so-called pulsar star it orbits.  Pulsars are tiny, dead neutron stars that are only around 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in diameter and spin hundreds of times a second, emitting beams of radiation.

The planet, which orbits its star every two hours and 10 minutes, has slightly more mass than Jupiter but is 20 times as dense, scientists reported in the journal Science on Thursday.  In addition to carbon, the new planet is also likely to contain oxygen, which may be more prevalent at the surface and is probably increasingly rare toward the carbon-rich center.  Its high density suggests the lighter elements of hydrogen and helium, which are the main constituents of gas giants like Jupiter, are not present.  Just what this weird diamond world is actually like close up, however, is a mystery.  “In terms of what it would look like, I don’t know I could even speculate,” said Ben Stappers of the University of Manchester. 

Astronomers believe they have discovered a planet made purely from diamond.  They claim that a planet orbiting a small fast spinning star, called a pulsar, is likely made of diamond.  The sparkling world 4,000 light years away is 60,000 Km in diameter, five times that of the Earth, and is thought to be all that remains of a once-massive star which collapsed and was crunched down into crystalline.  The planets in this material world are manifested only temporarily, and they are not eternal.  However, the Vedic scriptures tell us about a Vaikunta planet - which never to be annihilated - installed in the material atmosphere, called Dhruva planet.
 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

While Dhruva was traveling upward to heaven, the devas, who were hovering in airplanes singing his glories, showered him with a rain of beautiful flowers.  Gradually, Dhruva could see all the planets and, crossing them without difficulty, he reached the planet of Vishnu, which is above the three worlds and the constellation of the Seven Rsis.  That planet is always self-effulgent and illuminates all the planets beneath it, with its light. It is the supreme abode destined for those saints who are always engaged in working for the actual welfare of others.  Those who are peaceful, equal to everyone, pure and always engaged in helping other living entities to serve Shri Hari, easily reach that planet.  It can be attained without difficulty by those who take pleasure in the soul and consider Shri Krishna to be their dearest friend and protector. ... The son of Uttanapada (Dhruva) thus obtained the topmost position in all the three worlds.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja
“Sages of Ancient India”
“The Sacred Teachings of Dhruva and Prahlad”
Mandala Publishing Group 2001
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math - www.sreecgmath.org