Mother Lode Found in Milky Way Star

A group of astronomers has struck gold--in the nether regions of the Milky Way. The team reported at the American Astronomical Society meeting that it detected gold, silver and platinum in an ancient star in the halo surrounding our galaxy.

It is the first time that gold has been detected in a star other than our sun. Although difficult to detect, gold and platinum are thought to be present in all stars. The elements are not produced by the star but by massive supernova explosions. The findings could explain how the elements that make up our world and bodies came into being.

If it could be mined, the amount of gold in the star would be worth an estimated $7 billion trillion, estimated astronomer Tim Beers of Michigan State University, who worked with University of Oklahoma astronomer John Cowan to detect the metals.

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Compiled by Times science writer Usha Lee McFarling