Featured Image Credit: 24K-Production / Getty / NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
If you’re up to date about discoveries in space, you might’ve heard about an asteroid valued at $10 quintillion.
Yep, you read that right. That's this much money: $10,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Unlike most asteroids that are made up of rock and ice, this one's metal composition is incredibly rare.
The invaluable asteroid is called 16 Psyche and is thought to be made mostly of metals like iron and nickel, similar to the materials found in Earth’s core. There's even a chance it could contain some gold too.
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If we could mine just a small section of its metals, it could transform the global economy as we know it.
Scientists discovered Psyche with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
However, the US space agency NASA suggests the asteroid appears to be rusting.
Researchers found signs of water in the form of rust on the surface, hinting that Psyche contains 'hydration.'
This isn’t the first time water has been detected on Psyche.
Back in 2017, scientists noticed traces of water molecules on the asteroid's surface.
'Spectra from the infrared region, at long wavelengths that we perceive as heat but can't see' showed signs of hydroxyl molecules (OH) which form part of water, Live Science reported.
While not 100 per cent definitive, these findings suggest that Psyche might have small amounts of water in the form of ice or hydrated minerals.
Now, with the help of the JWST scientists have more evidence that hydroxyl groups are interacting with the metal on Psyche’s surface which overall results in a 'rust' effect.
NASA has been interested in this metal-rich asteroid for a while now which led to the Psyche mission on October 13, 2023. The NASA Psyche spacecraft is set to arrive at the asteroid by 2029 allowing scientists to take a closer look at the asteroid's makeup.
The mission "aims to find crucial clues about the formation of our solar system's planets," according to Live Science.
Researchers believe its outer metal layers could be the remnants of a “failed planet."
Some theories predict that Psyche is thought to be the exposed core of a protoplanet like Mars.
Further in-depth study may help our understanding of the early days of the solar system and the building blocks of planetary formation.
