2024-08-21 19:50:00
A study revealed that the surface of the valuable asteroid Psyche contains hydrated metals, which raises new questions about its origin. The discovery could completely change what was known about it.
Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) revealed that the surface of the asteroid Psyche has hydrated metals, as detailed in a preliminary report that will be published in the Planetary Science Journal.
With a diameter of 280 kilometers, Psyche is a dense, metallic asteroid, considered the largest of the M-type asteroids in the solar system. That is, it belongs to the category richest in metals.
In fact, Psyche has so many precious metals that some economists have estimated that it holds a value 300 times greater than the global economy.
Importance for Understanding Planet Formation
Due to its high content of iron and nickel, astronomers seek to find out if Psyche is the surviving core of a protoplanet destroyed after colliding with a similar object billions of years ago.
Protoplanets accumulated mass and evolved into planets like Earth. Therefore, Psyche and other similar asteroids could help better understand how our planet formed.
“Asteroids are remnants of the planet formation process, so their compositions vary based on where they formed in the solar nebula,” explains co-author Anicia Arredondo from the Southwest Research Institute in a statement.
Hypotheses about the Presence of Water
However, the fact that Psyche reflects light could indicate that it is not as dense as previously thought, especially for a massive metal object. Therefore, the finding of water on its surface opens new possibilities.
The first is that Psyche was impacted by asteroids containing significant amounts of water; the second is that the water originated from its interior, which completely changes what was thought about this object.
“The endogenic [that is, internal] hydration could suggest that Psyche is not the remnant core of a protoplanet,” adds Arredondo.
An alternative hypothesis suggests that Psyche came from farther than the so-called “snow line,” a region with sufficiently low temperatures to freeze water and incorporate it into its structure.
The Psyche Mission in 2029
The spacecraft of the same name is expected to reach the vicinity of the asteroid in 2029, a perfect opportunity to understand its origin and that of the planets.
This mission, led by NASA, “will provide information that is different but complementary to what the Psyche spacecraft is designed to study,” states co-author Tracy Becker in the report.