The event is thought to be a collision of two orbiting neutron stars that produced a bright outburst and synthesized heavy elements like gold, platinum, and uranium.

The study, posted on arXiv by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) and the University of Notre Dame, has not yet undergone peer review.

The glowing cloud left from the explosion is estimated to be under 1,000 years old, based on its small size and brightness indicating a young supernova remnant.

A joint China-US astronomy study suggests a mysterious high-energy glow in the Milky Way could be the relic of a recent rare event described as a ghostly “gold factory.”

In this scenario, the ejected atoms during the neutron-star merger absorbed neutrons to form heavy elements, while the remnant collapsed into a black hole.