Diamonds Are a Neptunian’s Best Friend

This Valentine’s Day why promise your loved one a diamond when you can promise her an ocean of diamonds. Scientists now believe that Neptune and Uranus may have diamond icebergs floating on seas of liquid diamond.

While the pressure and temps will kill you, these planets are still more enticing than Corot-7b.

Scientists on Earth have been experimenting with melting diamonds. The problem is that when diamond is heated to extreme temperatures it physically changes back into graphite (here). However, one group was able to do an a preliminary experiment that showed when subjected to sufficient pressure and the right conditions, diamond can melt and the remaining chunks actually float.

This is not something that you want to try at home. It requires hitting the diamond with a laser at pressures that is 40 million times greater than the Earth’s atmosphere at sea level, and then slowly reducing both the temperature and pressure. Diamond then acts like water.

The Beatles can be forgiven for the slight inaccuracy:

What is clear is that impressing Neputunian women is a tall order for any spouse or boyfriend:

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