There are many asteroids in the solar, but 16 Psyche is a pretty unique one. For one thing, it's pretty big, being about 140 miles in diameter. In addition, it's mostly made of metal, rather than rock or ice. Hubble has taken a close look at this object and determined that it's mostly made of iron and nickel. That's the same composition as the core of a planet, and it's led scientists to theorize that 16 Psyche is precisely that: The exposed core of a planet that was never able to form, or was formed but was destroyed. We'll find out more in a few years when a NASA mission reaches 16 Psyche.
Oh, about the being rich thing ... the iron that 16 Psyche is made of is worth about 10,000 quadrillion dollars. And that's just the iron. So expect mining operations to begin as soon as possible. It may not be as romantic as a gold rush, but the great iron rush of 16 Psyche is coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment