Diamond Rain In Saturn 177
Taco Cowboy writes "Back in 1999, it was postulated that diamonds may rain from the sky in the atmospheres of our solar system's gas giants. Now, research has shown that diamond rains on Saturn are more than probable. '"We don't want to give people the impression that we have a Titanic-sized diamondberg floating around," said researcher Mona Delitsky, of California Specialty Engineering, "We're thinking they're more like something you can hold in your hand." Recent data compiled by planetary scientists ... has been combined with newly published pressure temperature diagrams of Jupiter and Saturn. These diagrams, known as adiabats, allow researchers to decipher at what interior level that diamond would become stable. They also allow for calculations at lower levels – regions where both temperature and pressure are so concentrated that diamond becomes a liquid. Imagine diamond rain or rivulets of pure gemstone.' 'At even greater depths, the scientists say the diamond will eventually melt to form liquid diamond, which may then form a stable ocean layer.'
Re:Is there a cartel on Saturn? (Score:3, Insightful)
It [gold] also remains far over valued versus its industrial use
so does paper with funny symbols, old dude's faces and a signature printed on it.
wrong (Score:5, Insightful)
Correction:
"temperature and pressure are so concentrated that carbon becomes a liquid"
It's not considered a diamond if it's a liquid. Diamonds are crystalline.
good news for space exploration (Score:4, Insightful)
Nothing prompts exploration like greed.
Re: Is there a cartel on Saturn? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: Is there a cartel on Saturn? (Score:5, Insightful)
Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat. It's the right combination of all four that makes a diamond valuable. This is regardless of the cartel. Quality is quality.
Not true. A "cultured" diamond will sell for considerably less than a mined diamond of the same quality. The DeBeers diamond cartel has gone to considerable effort and expense to promote the perception that laboratory grown diamonds are somehow inferior to "real" diamonds produced by African children digging up hundreds of tons of dirt.
Re:Liquid diamond!? (Score:4, Insightful)
If this story was on the internet 150 years ago, they would have been excited about the oceans of liquid coal.
A practically limitless supply of coal, essential for rail transport and industry, we just need to build a 1.2 terameter long pipeline...