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Author Topic: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond  (Read 3120 times)

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Offline iamaboringpersonTopic starter

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10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« on: February 17, 2004, 05:47:40 AM »
here

Quote
The diamond is a massive chunk of crystallized carbon that lies about 300 trillion miles from Earth, in the constellation Centaurus.



I want to collect it! Who's with me?
 

Offline blobrana

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2004, 06:33:17 AM »
Hum,
i think i`ll just wait 5 billion years for our sun to turn into one...

BTW, the astronomers have named the star `Lucy`, er, as in  `lucy in the sky with diamonds` ,(or was that LSD?)








[some ppl haven't heard of the beatles - (not as famous as jesus) ]

Offline iamaboringpersonTopic starter

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2004, 06:40:40 AM »
I like that song.


:-D
 

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2004, 01:52:22 PM »
What I don't understand, and perhaps I'm missing something here, is that diamonds aren't even really that rare as to justify the price.  There are much more rare rocks out there which are basically lining fish tanks world-wide.

Wayne
 

Offline Speelgoedmannetje

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2004, 02:02:25 PM »
@Wayne
For as far as I know both diamond and gold supply is limited to assure it's price. I do not know where it is stated, WTO probably.
And the canary said: \'chirp\'
 

Offline KennyR

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2004, 02:07:18 PM »
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Wayne wrote:
What I don't understand, and perhaps I'm missing something here, is that diamonds aren't even really that rare as to justify the price. There are much more rare rocks out there which are basically lining fish tanks world-wide.


You can also pump out diamonds in an industrial process.

Difference is - they're all imperfect. Imperfect diamonds are common. Nothing beats a real diamond from the ground with a professional cut (so DeBeers tells us). These things are definitely rare.
 

Offline KennyR

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #6 on: February 17, 2004, 02:09:18 PM »
Anyway I'm a bit disappointed. I always thought cooled-out white dwarf stars were made of a solid core of degenerate iron, much cooler stuff than diamond. But I guess the pressure and heat in little stars isn't enough to use carbon as a fuel and it's left over. Bah.
 

Offline bloodline

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2004, 02:47:59 PM »
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[some ppl haven't heard of the beatles - (not as famous as jesus) ]


Who the hell is joosus? ;-)

Believe it or not there are some people who've never heard of Depeche Mode...  :-o but they live on cold little islands away from civilisation. :-D

Offline bloodline

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2004, 02:49:27 PM »
Quote

KennyR wrote:
Anyway I'm a bit disappointed. I always thought cooled-out white dwarf stars were made of a solid core of degenerate iron, much cooler stuff than diamond. But I guess the pressure and heat in little stars isn't enough to use carbon as a fuel and it's left over. Bah.


No, you need really massive stars to fuse up to Iron!

Offline Speelgoedmannetje

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #9 on: February 17, 2004, 02:52:01 PM »
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bloodline wrote:
Quote
[some ppl haven't heard of the beatles - (not as famous as jesus) ]


Who the hell is joosus? ;-)

Believe it or not there are some people who've never heard of Depeche Mode...  :-o but they live on cold little islands away from civilisation. :-D
HEY! I've never heard about Depeche Mode before you mentioned it. And I live in the centre of civilization. No Kees, your opinion about Groningen is not wanted here :-)
And the canary said: \'chirp\'
 

Offline cecilia

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2004, 05:17:43 PM »
Quote

Wayne wrote:
What I don't understand, and perhaps I'm missing something here, is that diamonds aren't even really that rare as to justify the price.  There are much more rare rocks out there which are basically lining fish tanks world-wide.

Wayne
you are correct sir! there's this whole industry set up to bilk the public into thinking diamonds are the bees knees.this is just to jack the price up.
i personally find them boring.
once in a while you see an interesting diamond. Like the Hope diamond. it's got a slight blue tinge to it. it's nice, but i would never wear it. way too gaudy! it's only useful as a sculpture.

other stones are much more beautiful! my mother loves emeralds.
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Offline Quixote

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #11 on: February 17, 2004, 05:40:51 PM »
@KennyR:

Actually, the imperfections are what distinguish naturally occurring diamonds from artificially produced ones, until recently.  Today, artificial gemstones can be produced which are indistinguishable from natural ones, and the cartels are nervous.
 

Offline blobrana

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #12 on: February 17, 2004, 06:21:18 PM »
Yea, when the kimberly diamond fields were found (1888?) the De-Beers basically had to restrict the supply, otherwise the diamonds would be too cheap to mine....

Hum, i seem to remember the blue colour  comes from cobalt impurities and since the outer electron shell is `empty` i believe that the `hope ` diamond would be able to conduct electrisity...

[Did Bloodline really say that jesus was more famous than the beatles?]



[cobalt = small cave troll]

Offline KennyR

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #13 on: February 17, 2004, 06:28:33 PM »
@blobrana

That's right, the metal impurities plug the conduction band, like doping a semiconductor.

Diamonds are also actually the best known conductor of heat. That's why they feel cold to the touch.
 

Offline blobrana

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Re: 10 billion trillion trillion-carat diamond
« Reply #14 on: February 17, 2004, 06:46:44 PM »
Hum,
so i didn`t make it up... that`s good.

So now that that`s confirmed, i seem to recall that there was CPU chip designs that used Diamonds , because they could stand greater heat stresses (and heat transfer)...

No doubt when the current batch of pentium and athlon processors come up against that thermal barrier, we may actually see diamonds being used...








UPDATE:
Huh, found a link....

http://www.nature.com/nsu/nsu_pf/020902/020902-9.html