It could make for the greatest get-rich scheme in history, but you need to hitch a ride to Neptune to do it. Yep — scientists think it’s raining diamonds on the eighth-farthest planet from our sun. There may be plenty to go around, however, as the ‘Ice Giant’ is the fourth-largest planet in diameter located in our solar system.

For over 40 years, both astronomers and physicists have suspected diamonds rain down in the center of the planet, though Voyager 2, the lone space mission probe to have flown by the planet, did not prove the popular hypothesis — but we also have yet to land a spacecraft, let alone develop an intricate-enough ground-based telescope, to confirm it (via American Scientist).

The idea of raining gems was first introduced by Marvin Ross in 1981. He suggested that hydrocarbons, like methane, were separating at extreme temperatures inside the icy planet, resulting in cluster formations of isolated carbon atoms, which could be assembled into a diamond-like structure, considering the conditions.

The possibility of precious stones raining from the skies stems from the popular belief that diamond precipitation also emits gravitational energy waves, which convert to frictional heat between both the diamonds and themselves, as well as atmospheric materials.

The outermost planets, like Neptune, bear fruitful information as to what may have played a part in creating our universe, but also in what planets, including those found in the Milky Way, may provide in possibly sustaining life (via American Scientist).

New evidence may confirm it rains diamonds on Neptune

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