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I died falling into my only friend.
But somehow. 130 million years later.
You heard us weep as we crashed.
Our tears rained gold.

Once upon a time, two stars were born in a galaxy NGC 4993. First one, then the other, exploded in a supernova, then were drawn into each others gravitational pull. They collided into each other at one third the speed of light, creating one last gravitational wave. 130 million light years away in October, 2017, scientists heard the echo of two neutron stars colliding, a giant explosion of matter. This merger has been linked to the production of heavy metals like gold and platinum. Inspired by this science, Dyani Sabin writes of the stars, in a creation story of loss and wonder. // Alex Massey

//Dyani Sabin is a science journalist. She spent time researching crayfish and once worked as the night supervisor in a library. Find @dyanisabin//