When we think about gold, the vast majority of people think about searching it on Earth. If you find a chunk of 10 kilograms of gold, for instance, you will become pretty rich. But let’s not forget that apart from being a precious metal, gold is also one of the heaviest chemical elements in the Universe. Therefore, we should be able to find it on other planets as well.
Considering that humans never landed or sent any rovers to another solar system, it would be a lot more reasonable to try to find gold in our own cosmic backyard. In other words, could there be any gold on the Moon, Mars, Venus, Neptune, and so on?
The Solar System has gold
Other places in our Solar System, except for our planet, have gold as well. Asteroids, meteorites, planetary cores, comets, and lunar regoliths contain certain amounts of gold. There is no wonder why, though, as let’s not forget that gold is, after all, a naturally occurring element that forms part of the composition of many astronomical objects.
For instance, a lot of asteroids are believed to contain significant amounts of gold and other precious metals. Metallic asteroids, such as M-type asteroids, are thought to be remnants of the early solar system and contain high amounts of metals such as gold, nickel, and platinum. The exact composition varies from asteroid to asteroid, but some estimates suggest that certain metallic asteroids have billions or even trillions of dollars worth of precious metals.
So, can we get rich by exploring the Universe?
Saying whether there is enough gold in the celestial bodies from our Solar System, except for Earth, to make a person rich depends on a few factors, such as the concentration of gold, the current market value of gold, and the accessibility of resources. While there’s a significant amount of gold present in various celestial bodies, extracting and monetizing those resources pose considerable logistical, technical, and economic challenges.
We need to keep in mind that accessing and extracting gold from celestial bodies such as moons, asteroids, or planetary cores presents major technical challenges. In order to develop the needed technologies and infrastructure for space mining, substantial investment and innovation are needed. Furthermore, the cost of launching missions, conducting mining operations, as well as returning resources back to our planet or other markets adds to the overall expenses.
In the end, we need to keep in mind that while there is clearly a lot of gold present in celestial bodies from our Solar System, whether there is enough of this precious metal out there to make a person rich depends on a complex interplay of factors, such as the concentration of gold, the feasibility of extraction, as well as the prevailing market conditions.
