Astronomers Witness Creation of Rare Heavy Elements in Star Merger

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected the chemical element tellurium in the aftermath of a kilonova, an explosion resulting from the merging of two neutron stars. This discovery brings scientists closer to understanding the creation of valuable and life-sustaining elements in the Universe. The observations from multiple telescopes also revealed that the neutron stars responsible for the kilonova were once part of a binary system in a spiral galaxy located 120,000 light-years away. The findings, published in the journal Nature, highlight the transformative capabilities of the Webb telescope in advancing our understanding of the Universe.