New Developments on a $10,000 Quadrillion Asteroid

A new scientific study reveals the first details about a metal-rich asteroid, a step that will aid in understanding the forms that metals take on this celestial body. In 2017, the U.S. space agency "NASA" announced the discovery of an asteroid located between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt, approximately 370 million kilometers from Earth. NASA named the asteroid "Psyche," which is composed of various metals, chiefly iron and nickel, along with several other rare metals, including gold, platinum, and copper. The agency estimated the value of the precious metals making up the asteroid to be around $10,000 quadrillion (Quadrillion: a number nearly equal to one million trillion). The American agency plans to launch a probe to this asteroid next year (2022), expecting it to arrive by 2026. This new study, published by researchers in the journal "Planetary Science," provides a closer look at the asteroid, which measures about 200 kilometers in length, in preparation for the space mission. The study revealed that the amount of heat emitted by the asteroid is 60% less than previously thought, indicating that the asteroid is experiencing thermal inertia. The thermal emission there is influenced by the presence of metals on the surface of the celestial body, leading scientists to believe that metals comprise at least 30% of the surface. The analysis of thermal emission has helped to approximate the form of the metal present there, particularly on the surface, which appeared smooth and solid.