NASA Psyche Mission to look deep into a mysterious asteroid to reveal Earth's secrets
NASA: Psyche mission is one of the most exciting things being discussed in astronomy circles. 16 Psyche is a large metal-rich asteroid which is orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Don’t worry, it is not heading towards the Earth. The excitement is building because it is so far the most unique asteroid scientists have ever seen. In fact, it is so exciting that NASA has started a project with the same name (Mission Psyche) which will send a spacecraft on the asteroid to study it. And the launch is just a few months away in August. This M-class asteroid holds a special place because researchers believe that it can reveal secrets about the Earth which were previously deemed unthinkable. Read on to find out what they are.
16 Psyche is a one-of-a-kind asteroid. For one, it deviates from the general composition of an asteroid which is either mostly rocky or a combination or rock and ice. This space rock is made up of mostly metals with iron and nickel being the primary one’s. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There are two classes of asteroids that we know of. One is called ‘Chondrite’, which in simple terms, is an asteroid whose core has never melted and it exists in the same pristine form since its existence. On the other hand, ‘Achondrite’ asteroids are broken pieces off a planet whose insides have melted. As a result, heavier elements like iron and nickel settle towards the core and lighter elements float to the surface. This phenomenon also produces magnetic fields, which is a characteristic of this type of asteroid, according to NASA. Now, what is strange about 16 Psyche is that it is believed to be a chondrite asteroid, as its core has never melted, yet it gives out magnetic fields, like an achondrite. This
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