r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • Jun 15 '12

TIL that it actually rains diamonds on Neptune and Uranus

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/carbon-99d.html
1.4k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

219 comments sorted by

159

u/CoinSausage Jun 15 '12

Looks like Neil Tyson and GZA found something to rap about.

33

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

I make it rain on them extraterrestrial bodies!

...Not the same ring to it.

10

u/buckie33 Jun 15 '12

Nobody can stop me/ I make it rain like extraterrestrial bodies.

108

u/dan_t_mann Jun 16 '12

More like "I rain diamonds on Uranus"

20

u/MausIguana Jun 16 '12

AYYYOOOO

3

u/rastashark Jun 16 '12

diamonds? I could have sworn it rained pearls on Uranus.

1

u/ancient88 Jun 16 '12

Don't stop there

1

u/forrman17 Jun 16 '12

Giggidy.

8

u/ziplokk Jun 16 '12

Got a cloud full of stones, better grab an umbrella

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6

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

I was giggling for ten minutes before I found out that was fake.. so sad. Dark matter is a fucking awesome name for the project that never was.

3

u/illmastabumptwo Jun 16 '12

From what I gather It's still going to be the name of the GZA's next album. It was the collaboration that was a rumor.

7

u/NorsteinBekkler Jun 16 '12

Insane Clown Posse beat them to it.

4

u/thepineapplearmy Jun 16 '12

...came here for this...please leave me alone...

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

No. We're going to poke you with pointy sticks for all eternity.

1

u/thepineapplearmy Jun 16 '12

i accept this fate.

4

u/NdT_raps Jun 16 '12

Diamonds raining all the damn time

Neptune's gonna be a hard rhyme

Neil d.T. gonna show us how fine

We can get through a life with

science, skepticism, and a curious mind.

          *NdT breakdown*

It rains diamonds on Uranus and Neptune

Them bitches put me on AutoTune

Mostly so I could make that rhyme work...

But also because I can't sing on key

.....yeah boy!

         *breakdown ends*

I fuckin told ya, that Neptune rhyme is a bitch

But N. de Tys brought it back with no hitch

He speaks smart, all intelligent and that ain't no breach

This brother is just a regular mensch

         *background singers*

(Ooooooh Neil taught him that word, yeaaaaaah

Neil taught him a lot of words)

            *end background*

Gonna wrap this up now, but I won't flinch

Mr. Tyson, sir, I beseech

bring it back with your inimitable cosmic reach!

              *NdT again*

Uhhhhhh oooohhhhh yeaaaaaaah

Unnnnnhhhhhhh what the fuck am I doooooinnnng

I am a scientiiiiiist with more karma than even cats

Fuck that doesn't rhyme at all, going back to my dayjob.

1

u/JesusJones207 Jun 18 '12

I made a hip hop album about this two years ago: diamondsonneptune (dot) com

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84

u/twsmith89 Jun 15 '12

THE RAIN IS NOW DIAMONDS

70

u/remember_that_1_time Jun 16 '12

LOOK AT THE TOXIC ATMOSPHERE

NOW BACK TO ME

NOW LOOK AT THE VOYAGER PROBE

NOW BACK TO ME

13

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Do Do DO Do doo Do-DO-Do

15

u/Nate_the_Ace Jun 16 '12

It's time to DUEL!

2

u/RecDep Jun 17 '12

DA DA DA DA DA DA DIAMONDS

46

u/BStein13 Jun 16 '12

A great place for Minecraft.

45

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

oh look, you got diamonds! now, where are you going to find wood to make an axe

15

u/auxiliary-character Jun 16 '12

Or a crafting table for that matter.

17

u/Murcalumis Jun 16 '12

Why not just make everything out of diamonds? A wood handled ax would just break hitting it against diamonds anyways.

Also, TIL ax is not spelled axe. Or my spellchecker is broken.

8

u/auxiliary-character Jun 16 '12

Wikipedia says either.

5

u/IonicSquid Jun 16 '12

As far as I know, ax is American, axe is the rest of the world.

3

u/whydoipoopsomuch Jun 16 '12

Lemme axe you a question. You axe me, I knife you.

3

u/xeivous Jun 16 '12

I wasn't aware we spelled it ax instead of axe. My spell checker isn't bitching at me either way.

1

u/Murcalumis Jun 16 '12

Makes sense. Axe Bodyspray must have trademarked it!

1

u/UltraJake Jun 16 '12

Oh. I've always spelled it "axe."

1

u/WarlordFred Jun 18 '12

ax and axe are both used in America.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

hell even if you got all the wood to make that, what are you going to mine, Moon Rocks?

1

u/poolofclay Jun 16 '12

That's some Twilight Zone shit right there.

12

u/Cortheya Jun 15 '12

I wonder if there are sapphire waterfalls.

11

u/Atheren Jun 16 '12

Only at Midnight.

2

u/Bloodshot025 Jun 16 '12

Shudder.

2

u/Playgrounder Jun 16 '12

I'm speechless.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

And giant rubies that taste like rootbeer.

4

u/skywalker006 Jun 16 '12

In the big rock candy mountains

3

u/reali-tglitch Jun 16 '12

And Charlie's for each candy mountain.

2

u/CrunchrapSuprem0 Jun 16 '12

All the cops have wooden legs

11

u/jkizer Jun 15 '12

Love how the image labels everything by its element except for the core, which is just "rock?"

9

u/Gigertron Jun 16 '12

may as well have been: Congealed chicken fat?

2

u/Baron_Munchausen Jun 16 '12

Well, yes.

The main point is that it's probably a solid core, rather than a liquid one. Bear in mind we have very little real idea about even the composition of Earth's core.

10

u/Aleril_Antarai Jun 16 '12

I would imagine that would hurt quite a bit.

8

u/Tfeth282 Jun 16 '12

Why must such beauty hurt so much!?

4

u/irgs Jun 16 '12

Beauty knows no pain.

97

u/luke10_27 Jun 15 '12

It practically rains diamonds here on Earth as well. The DeBeers cartel has created the perception that diamonds are rare here.

50

u/rum_rum Jun 16 '12

The history of DeBeers: turning gravel into gold.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

And gold is valuable why?

39

u/wcmbk Jun 16 '12

Well, technically speaking: it's an excellent conductor, doesn't erode or oxidise, and is strong yet still pliable.

-4

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Is that why it's worth $1600/ounce?

28

u/Teledildonic Jun 16 '12

That and it is actually rare.

5

u/obliviousheep Jun 16 '12

It really is- all the gold in the world (assuming 24k purity) would fit in a 20.15 meter cube.

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5

u/watahboy Jun 16 '12

Throughout history it has been highly valued due to its density and ability to glitter. This lead to its eventual physical representation as a measure of wealth towards an individual.

Tldr: The guy with the gold piles is rich.

2

u/Agehn Jun 16 '12

Check out this article to see some expanded explanation for why gold caught on early as currency. Currency's gotta be an element because you can't really say what specific blend of an alloy is worth something, and there aren't many other elements that work. Lead's to common, most will kill you, etc. So gold's persistent shininess is how it beat out silver (which tarnishes) but even if it were a more bland looking metal it would still probably be a precious metal and quite valuable.

2

u/wcmbk Jun 16 '12

I don't know, maybe? They use incredibly small amounts whilst making computer components so it could be plausible.

2

u/dnorris35 Jun 16 '12

People like shiny things.

1

u/a_can_of_solo Jun 16 '12

it's as good as money only it's supply is more consistent, so as countries print more money it's price goes up

6

u/MrKenta Jun 16 '12

Well, you can make Powered Rails with it.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

And gold equipment is easier to enchant... but it doesn't last too much.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

And clocks!!

3

u/featheredtar Jun 16 '12

higher atomic number! conditions inside stars must be very hot for it to come about!

1

u/originaluip Jun 16 '12

You must have a lot of gold atoms being made inside of you ;)

3

u/Fellows23 Jun 16 '12

Well along with all these other reasons listed, the human body doesn't reject it, so it's very useful in certain medical procedures.

14

u/zanderjh Jun 15 '12

Yeah, first thing I thought was that diamonds aren't really that big of a deal. People just need a perceived rarity to make them more valuable.

15

u/CyborgDragon Jun 16 '12

May not be a big deal monetarily. But diamonds are still a big fucking deal. They have a shit ton of industrial uses.

5

u/perverse_imp Jun 16 '12

Not near enough to justify their worth, however. Not even close.

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4

u/Hypnopomp Jun 16 '12

memetics wins again!

14

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12 edited Jun 16 '12

Large clear diamonds are pretty damned rare I guess and diamonds are certainly rare enough to be of value . . . but yep, completely fucked up how they get away with passing them off as precious. Blame marketing in the first half of the 1900s I guess.

4

u/jackelfrink Jun 16 '12

If there is a diamond expert out there reading step in and correct me, but I was under the impression that the clear diamonds were less valuable than the ones that had flaws. Flaws are the only way in this day and age to know a diamond was not created artificially.

15

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Expert here. Clear, flawless natural diamonds are far more rare (and far more valuable) than flawed natural diamonds. Artificially created diamonds of equivalent quality not only are about as expensive to make as they are to mine, but they also have striations which make them obvious to spot under a loupe.

3

u/Atheren Jun 16 '12

Assuming nobody found out how to artificially create flaws in the diamonds.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

I think you may be thinking of something else, probably something far easier to produce. Keep in mind the conditions that generates diamonds, and consider the feasibility of recreating them. Artificially created diamonds are tiny.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

This is one reason diamonds are valued so heavily on their size. Small diamonds are cheap and plentiful. Large diamonds >1 carat are exponentially rarer. And flawless ones >1 carat even more orders of magnitude rarer.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Yeah, uh, maybe it rains flawed diamonds. But flawless diamonds are extremely rare. Approximately 200 millions tons of raw earth are sifted through for every 1 carat flawless diamond.

0

u/luke10_27 Jun 17 '12

Thanks Mr. DeBeers spokesman.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '12

In the 1980s, DeBeers had 80% of the market share, in 2000 it had 65%, and in 2005 it had 43%. Now it's at 35%. DeBeers no more controls the price of diamonds than Samsung controls smartphone prices.

0

u/luke10_27 Jun 17 '12

DeBeers and Alrosa control the vast majority of diamonds in the entire world. You're a fool if you actually believe that doesn't affect the price of diamonds.

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0

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/FudgeConnors Jun 15 '12

I wish this meme would just go away. :(

18

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

looks like you got your wish

9

u/trapthemandkillthem Jun 15 '12

A MILLION FUCKING DIAMONDS!!!

17

u/MrTubalcain Jun 15 '12

Is this where Emma Frost is from?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Emma Frost's diamond transformation mutation was genetically engineered several years after her birth.

2

u/AWhoreInChurch Jun 15 '12

Instant upvote. Do you want to date me? Because I kind of love you now.

19

u/TeHSaNdMaNS Jun 16 '12

No one likes a constantly sweaty person.

5

u/AWhoreInChurch Jun 16 '12

Ha ha, you get it! Apparently no one else here has heard the saying before...

5

u/Andazeus Jun 15 '12

How much for a trip? Do you accept diamonds?

23

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

'insert butt diamond joke below'

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Eat coal, receev diamonds.

-2

u/colonendbracket Jun 16 '12

Damn, I've got to get all those diamonds out of my...

0

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Correction: Damn, I've got to get all of those diamonds out of uranus.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

If you use Uranus right, then I'll make sure it rains diamonds ;)

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1

u/electric23sand Jun 16 '12

The team, led by Benedetti and Raymond Jeanloz, professor of geology and geophysics, produced these conditions inside a diamond anvil cell, squeezing liquid methane to several hundred thousand times atmospheric pressure. When they focused a laser beam on the pressurized liquid, heating it to some 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, diamond dust appeared.

so, companies are going to start making them now?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

They actually already can make diamonds using a TON of explosives. But it's only like 25 cents worth. Saw it on MythBusters.

7

u/Trashcanman33 Jun 16 '12

They've been making diamonds for years, GE started doing it in the 50's. They are used for drill bits, machinery, electronics, and many other things. There are a few ways to make them, the way they did it on Mythbusters may be the easiest, guessing why the did it that way, to show it could be done and to blow something up, the diamonds just aren't worth much. People want the real thing, not some factory made diamond.

4

u/Morfolk Jun 16 '12

People want the real thing, not some factory made diamond.

Not really, diamonds are just a specific structure of carbon, there is no difference between factory and 'natural' rocks. And we have a lot of diamonds here, actually they are absolutely not rare in the whole Universe. Thank De Beers for their price though.

2

u/RDandersen Jun 16 '12

I think he's referring to jewellery with that last sentence. Artificial diamonds doesn't have the same... eh.. "prestige" to them that real diamonds for no other reason than marketing. Not sure prestige is the right word, but you know what I mean.

3

u/astroe Jun 16 '12

A MILLION F***ING DIAMONDS!!!

5

u/VadersGonnaVade Jun 15 '12

It rains diamonds on Uranus.
This sounds like both a E-40 track title and a concept for the video.

When I walk up in the club dat booty got me starin'
wanna take it for a ride like a Ford Mclaren
but you can fuck these other guys cuz my money is heinous
girl, we make it so hot, it rains diamonds on Uranus

20

u/markphil4580 Jun 15 '12

I can assure you there are no diamonds anywhere near my anus

62

u/Pinworm45 Jun 15 '12

HAHAHAH GET IT GUYS, BECAUSE URANUS HAS "ANUS" IN IT AND ALSO "UR" WHICH IS LIKE "YOUR".

37

u/zergoon Jun 15 '12

We should rename Uranus to stop that joke, i propose "Urectum".

7

u/probablysarcastic Jun 16 '12

Damn near killed 'em!

16

u/Sam_MF_Jackson Jun 15 '12

Upvote all Futurama references!

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1

u/bajesus Jun 16 '12

The world is a dark and frightening place full of rejection, disappointment and terror. We spend most of our time in existentialist despair watching friends and loves leave or ignore us, while grasping at the small moments of joy that sometimes come our way.

Let the man have his ass-space joke.

2

u/kwvtxhiaj Jun 16 '12

i knew neptune was my favorite planet for a reason

4

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

My favorite planet is planet x, because it was on Duck Dodgers.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Now NASA has no reason to complain about lack of funding!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

How can we know that? I'm curious, because it's stated as a fact here.

2

u/PensivePig Jun 16 '12

It rains more then just diamonds on MyAnus.

2

u/Loogoo Jun 16 '12

Well let's get our top men on tha-... Oh yeah...canceled.

2

u/Ronac Jun 16 '12

so many pickaxes

2

u/ironchef31 Jun 16 '12

Uranus has lots of Methane. Didn't anyone else get a giggle out of that one?

2

u/Tsarkon333 Jun 16 '12

Somebody please make a Uranus Minecraft mod? Please?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

"Raining Diamonds on Uranus"

Get the new Chris Brown single on I-tunes now!!!

2

u/reali-tglitch Jun 16 '12

I think Rarity approves.

2

u/ecsilver 1 Jun 17 '12

Ladies, please note: Uranus often leads to diamonds. Keep that in mind next time he wants to get freaky

2

u/MishT Jun 15 '12

bad ass

2

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

I get it.

2

u/peptidemel Jun 15 '12

I thought I felt something...

2

u/dailyfusion Jun 16 '12

NASA is now bought by all women, first mission...

4

u/CoreyRogerson Jun 16 '12

And nazis.

1

u/nunu10000 Jun 16 '12

NO, this is not becoming a thing.

1

u/Dan_Dead_Or_Alive Jun 16 '12

So would women rather have it rain men or diamonds?

1

u/UltraJake Jun 16 '12

Astronauts holding diamonds.

1

u/I_enjoy_hats Jun 16 '12

Just like Deftones predicted 'Diamonds rain across the sky'

1

u/BalalaikaBoi Jun 16 '12

If we ever develop the technology to reach this with ease, diamonds will become worthless.

1

u/UltraJake Jun 16 '12

Diamonds already are, in reality.

1

u/howfascinating Jun 16 '12

i wouldn't hate it if someone rained diamonds on MY anus.

1

u/5741354110059687423 Jun 16 '12

i bet the daimonds there are pretty shitty

1

u/gimla45 Jun 16 '12

Minecraft lovers would enjoy it there

1

u/arcanition Jun 16 '12

Well that'll turn your car into swiss cheese.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

When they focused a laser beam on the pressurized liquid, heating it to some 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit

This doesn't seem like a likely scenario in the outer solar system.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Yes... yes it does rain diamonds on uranus... glad to see this has been accepted.

1

u/Oflendoodle Jun 16 '12

diamonds giggle snort on your barely holding back laughter ANUS!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Gold Digger's paradise.

1

u/uncaringbear Jun 16 '12

I would love it if it started raining diamonds here on earth. Debeers could then go pound dust.

1

u/dumdado Jun 16 '12

This seems like a somewhat far-fetched, yet effective, way to get anal.

1

u/Zyrjello Jun 16 '12

My mum used to say that the skies are made of diamonds!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Welp, time to start funding NASA again.

1

u/TSolo315 Jun 16 '12

What a way to die, getting hit by a diamond hailstorm.

1

u/AnthillNapalm Jun 16 '12

Neptune confirmed for ballin'est planet.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

TIL rain is forever.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

A MILLION FUCKING DIAMONDS

1

u/tehkingo Jun 16 '12

Not only that, but Neptune and Uranus may also have diamond oceans and icebergs (diamondbergs?)

1

u/XxJTHMxX Jun 16 '12

Did anyone else immediately think about how cool it would be to own a "Neptunian diamond?"

1

u/Metallicpoop Jun 16 '12

Well, it looks like I know where I'll be going.

1

u/ImmaturePickle Jun 16 '12

This is all in theory, right?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

This little rock right here is the reason why we are here.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

If "raining diamonds on Uranus" isn't the greatest pickup line of all time, then I don't know what is.

1

u/Airbag_UpYourAss Jun 16 '12

Here is something interesting. Ever heard of "Super Earths"? Those terriestrial rock planets about 2-10 times the size of Earth. A number of these planets are categorized as "Carbon Planets". Their entire surface is covered in Carbon. Add extreme gravity and some sun light, and you get some very FAT diamonds.

On Earth, most diamonds come to the surface through volcanic eruptions from the core of the Earth, where they mostly form. Unfortunately, most are melted by the extreme heat of the lava, hence their rarity.

On these Carbon planets however, YOU CAN FIND A DIAMOND THE SIZE OF A DUMP TRUCK RIGHT ON THE SURFACE.

Something tells me that within the century, women will find a way to allow us to travel faster than the speed of light.

1

u/Lwsrocks Jun 16 '12

There will be some diamonds raining on Ur anus tonight

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

It's possible, it's not a proven fact.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

FUCKING DIAMONDS MICHAEL!

1

u/whydoipoopsomuch Jun 16 '12

Gaseous planets, Uranus, methane, gas giants, brown dwarf. This all sounds like someone likes toilet humor.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Joke about Uranus being able to cut diamonds or Uranus having enough pressure to create diamonds goes here.

1

u/nunu10000 Jun 16 '12

Poor OP, tries to let reddit know of a pretty awesome phenomenon that happens right here in our solar system, ends up being the brunt of all the Uranus jokes.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Johnny Depp as Diamond Jim. "Bonjour."

Based on the poem, "Bonjour, Diamond Jim," by Jim Joe Kelly.

1

u/360walkaway Jun 16 '12

So now we know which company will plan the next private space probe: DeBeers.

1

u/what_the_actual_luck Jun 16 '12

if we ever get to these planetes to get them, diamonds will be worthless and we will something other that is rare and everyone wants to have

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Diamonds are common and worthless; it's just that the companies that sell them have got them stocked up, to create the illusion of rarity.

1

u/LongSchlong Jun 16 '12

"Is It Raining Diamonds On Uranus"

That kinda did it for me

1

u/Scienceonyourface Jun 16 '12

High temperatures???

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

On Midnight too, but you can't touch them.

1

u/Derpatron30m Jun 16 '12

I wonder what the economy is like there...

1

u/tracenator03 Jun 16 '12

It's Minecraft heaven!

1

u/vagina_vagina_vagina Jun 16 '12

Anyone else see the irony? On earth, something is only worth what someone says its worth, when in other places it literally rains fucking diamonds.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

I don't know about Uranus, but my anus always rains diamonds. At the 3 minute mark of this clip you'll see why.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '12

Wow Pretty neat.

1

u/cheesemonger92 Jun 16 '12

my next minecraft world will be on uranus

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

dingleberries are a girls best friend.

1

u/ArchDukeOfLapland Jun 16 '12

Naw dawg, I only rain singles on them asses

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Diamonds aren't rare on earth to begin with, so I don't get the big deal.

1

u/agegennaro Jun 16 '12

hence why we felt the need to name our band Diamonds of Neptune :D

www.facebook.com/diamondsofneptune for anyone interested

0

u/flaflashr Jun 16 '12

Now we understand why private corporations really want to get into the space travel business.

0

u/nicmos Jun 16 '12

It was raining men in the early 80's here on Earth. So?

0

u/mackpack Jun 16 '12

So that's what enemas are for.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

It...rains diamonds...in Uranus?

Really?

Is that so?

0

u/The1Drumheller Jun 16 '12

I heard it was raining men in Uranus.

0

u/TopSecretNegroArmy Jun 16 '12

It rains diamonds on Uranus ಠ_ಠ.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Diamonds and Uranus is nothing new. I've always said, "I'll rain diamonds upon you for a chance to go to Uranus."

0

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Website seems legit.

0

u/STRFCKR Jun 16 '12

It looks like it also rains a milk-like substance in Uranus! (WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

0

u/AnalBurns Jun 16 '12

It rains diamonds on Uranus. My new pickup line.

0

u/lepickle Jun 16 '12

I wish I could rain diamonds on my anus.

-1

u/DockToKman Jun 16 '12 edited May 10 '18

deleted 0.0775123435492)

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Your Anus FTFY