Neutron stars are made of a solar mass of neutrons and protons packed so tightly together that they're almost like a single giant nucleus. They can collide and

Neutron stars are made of a solar mass of neutrons and protons packed so tightly together that they're almost like a single giant nucleus. They can collide and shatter into countless particles of every imaginable heavy element. Of course most of these quickly decay but they decay into other heavier things that are more stable. This is possibly where heavy elements in our solar system such as uranium, platinum and gold came from. If we could visit Earth shortly after its formation 4.5 billion years ago maybe we'd see trace amounts of even more exotic elements! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star_merger#Distribution_of_Heavy_Metals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star_merger#Distributi...