Kanishka NaikNuclear fission has been observed for the first time in a cosmic setting. Evidence from stellar observations links neutron star mergers to superheavy element formation that then breaks apart, seeding galaxies with lighter heavy elements.
During neutron star mergers, matter reaches 10^10 K. The r-process rapidly assembles superheavy nuclei with atomic masses above 260, which then undergo fission, producing a consistent pattern of light precious metals and rare-earth elements across observed stars.
The correlation between light precious metals like silver and rare-earth nuclei like europium observed across stars provides the first confirmed evidence of cosmic fission. This supports the theory that neutron star collisions are the primary factory for the universe's heaviest elements.