Using the ATERUI II supercomputer at Japan’s Center for Computational Astrophysics’ National Astronomical Observatory, astrophysicists from Tohoku University determined that gold in the Milky Way formed about 10 billion years ago. The scientists’ work has been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

All terrestrial elements, from carbon and oxygen to silicon and gold, were formed in ancient stars during their evolution during thermonuclear reactions. After the supernova explosion, all the elements spread throughout the universe. Scientists wanted to track the formation and distribution of certain elements in the universe. To do this, they created computer models that track the formation of the virtual galaxy of the Milky Way from the Big Bang to the present.

It turns out that most gold-rich stars formed more than 10 billion years ago in small galaxies that later merged to form the Milky Way.