Did Magnetars Forge the Universe’s First Gold? A New Study Sheds Light

An artist's rendering of an outburst on a magnetar [Handout/NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center via Reuters]

For centuries, gold has captivated civilisations across the globe. But while humanity has mined and treasured this precious metal, its true origins remained a cosmic mystery.

Now, a groundbreaking study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on April 29, 2025, suggests that the universe’s first gold may have formed in an unexpected place: the explosive flares of magnetars—extremely magnetic neutron stars.

What Are Magnetars?

To understand how gold could form from such phenomena, we must first explore what a magnetar is. When a massive star explodes in a supernova, its core collapses into an ultra-dense object known as a neutron star. A small fraction of these neutron stars possess potent magnetic fields, making them magnetars.

Magnetars are among the most extreme objects in the universe. With magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than Earth’s, these stars are capable of emitting enormous bursts of energy during rare events known as giant flares. These bursts, similar to earthquakes (but in space), can fracture the star’s crust in an event called a “starquake.”

Until now, scientists believed that such flares, while incredibly energetic, weren’t responsible for creating heavy elements. That theory is beginning to change.

The New Discovery: Magnetars and the Origins of Gold

Led by Anirudh Patel, a doctoral student at Columbia University, the new study re-analysed 20-year-old archival telescope data from NASA and the European Space Agency. By digging through this data, Patel and his team uncovered strong evidence that giant flares from magnetars could have created significant quantities of heavy elements, including gold.

This represents a radical shift from prior beliefs. Previously, the formation of gold was attributed primarily to neutron star collisions, known as kilonovas.

These rare and violent events occur when two neutron stars spiral into each other and merge, producing gravitational waves and forging heavy elements like platinum, uranium, and gold.

However, kilonovas are thought to have occurred relatively late in cosmic history, perhaps only a few billion years ago.

In contrast, magnetars formed as early as 13.6 billion years ago, shortly after the Big Bang. This suggests that gold and other heavy metals could have existed far earlier than we imagined.

How Does Gold Form in Space?

Gold, like other heavy elements, forms through a process called rapid neutron capture, or the r-process. In extreme environments, where neutron densities are high—such as in neutron stars or their explosions—atomic nuclei can absorb neutrons quickly. These unstable isotopes then undergo nuclear decay, transforming neutrons into protons and forming heavier elements.

In giant magnetar flares, researchers speculate that the release of material may set the stage for this r-process. While the exact mechanism remains uncertain, the data provide compelling indirect evidence that magnetar flares are powerful enough to drive this kind of elemental alchemy.

According to the study, magnetar flares may account for up to 10% of the heavy elements in the Milky Way galaxy—an astonishing figure, considering how rare these events are.

Why This Matters: A New Chapter in Cosmic Evolution

This discovery challenges long-standing theories about the timeline of element formation in the universe. If magnetars produced gold billions of years before neutron star mergers, our understanding of cosmic chemical evolution must be revised.

It also raises intriguing questions about early galaxies and the chemical composition of ancient stars. Some of the oldest stars in the universe might contain gold that predates even the first known kilonova.

What Comes Next? The COSI Mission

NASA’s upcoming Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) mission, set to launch in 2027, could provide the missing pieces of the puzzle. Designed to study high-energy gamma rays in the galaxy, COSI will look for signatures of newly formed elements following magnetar flares.

If successful, COSI could directly identify elements like gold in the aftermath of a flare, offering the first observational proof of this theory. That would solidify the role of magnetars as cosmic alchemists and deepen our knowledge of how the universe evolved from simple hydrogen to the complex elements that make up planets, people—and precious metals.

Conclusion

The origins of gold have long fascinated both scientists and storytellers. This latest study opens an exciting new chapter in the quest to understand where the universe's building blocks come from. As researchers continue to probe the heavens, one thing becomes clear: the universe still holds many glittering secrets.

So, the next time you admire a piece of gold jewellery, consider this: you might be holding a fragment of a starquake—a cosmic relic born in the fiery heart of a magnetar billions of years ago.