Why Scientists Think This Asteroid Is the Core of a Dead Planet (and Extremely Valuable)
16 Psyche is a giant space rock about the size of Massachusetts. Initial analysis reveals that it may be unusually rich in a variety of metals, leading some researchers to wonder if it may be more than an ordinary space rock. Maybe it was the exposed core of a planet that never quite came together?
Let’s say that’s true, hypothetically speaking. This would mean that scientifically speaking, 16 Psyche would instantly become one of the most valuable space objects for research purposes. It would also have an earthly monetary value that is frankly absurd and obscene. That in itself would represent the exact reason why so many countries and private companies are scrambling to be the first to figure out how to mine in space.
But before people can really start dreaming about the knowledge and money to be extracted from 16 Psyche, we first need to find out exactly what it is.
An asteroid called 16 Psyche may actually be the (extremely valuable) core of a failed planet
In a recent study published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planetsand detailed by Phys.org, researchers used 3D simulations to recreate impacts on Psyche’s surface. They focused on a large crater near its north pole. These digital reconstructions serve as forensic tools, using the shape and depth of craters to infer what lies beneath.
The study’s results didn’t settle any debate, but it narrowed down the list of what 16 Psyche could be: a multi-layered rock with a dense metallic core covered by a thinner rocky shell, which collectively suggests that 16 Psyche could have been a protoplanet that never finished forming. Or it could all mean that it’s just a weird, random mix of metal and rock, the result of a series of violent collisions that all melted together inside.
Scientists still want to know more about its porosity. If it’s airy inside, like the crumb of a well-risen focaccia bread, then it might not have as much valuable material in it as a denser asteroid that retains some of the material from what’s been pounded into it during its lifetime. That seemingly minor detail could determine whether or not this thing is worth drilling.
NASA won’t get any clarity until its Psyche Mission arrives in 2029. A spacecraft will provide what could end up being the closest we’ve ever seen to a planetary core, something we can’t access here on Earth without drilling thousands of miles beneath our feet.
