Funky Asteroid Psyche is made almost entirely of metal

In 2022, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy will launch a NASA spacecraft to explore the distant asteroid Psyche, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But this is no ordinary asteroid – a new study finds that it is made up almost entirely of metal.

The asteroid is 140 miles across, making it one of the largest asteroids in the belt. And while previous research had suggested that it was made primarily of metal, the new Hubble space telescope investigator indicates that it has an even more extreme composition than previously thought.

“We’ve seen meteorites that are mostly metallic, but Psyche might be unique in that it could be an asteroid entirely made of iron and nickel,” Dr. Tracy Becker, lead author and planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, said in a statement.

Such a large chunk of metal would be extremely valuable if it were here on Earth, leading to Psyche being dubbed the “$ 10,000 billion dollar asteroid.” However, the researchers emphasize that there is no way to bring the resources back to Earth and that the goal of the mission is scientific discovery, not mining.

The asteroid is of importance for scientific research because it could teach us how planets like Earth developed. Researchers believe that Psyche may have been in the early stages of becoming a planet at some point.

“The Earth has a metal core, a mantle and a crust,” Becker said. “It is possible that while a Psyche protoplanet was forming, it was hit by another object in our Solar System and lost its mantle and crust.”

Therefore, studying the object can teach us more about planetary development, as Becker explained: “What makes Psyche and the other asteroids so interesting is that they are considered the building blocks of the solar system. Understanding what actually constitutes a planet and potentially seeing the inside of a planet is fascinating. Once we get to Psyche, we’ll really understand if that’s the case, even if it doesn’t turn out how we hope. Every time there is a surprise, it is always exciting. “

Editors’ Recommendations