Overview of 16 Psyche asteroids

is one of the ten largest asteroids in the asteroid belt. It has a diameter of more than 200km and contains approximately 1% of the whole belt. It is also the largest type M metal asteroid.

Psyche was discovered by Annibale de Gasparis on March 17, 1852 in Naples and named after Psyche, a character in Greek mythology.

Three-dimensional model based on the light curve of 16 Psyche.

Character of

Radar observations show that Psyche is made entirely of iron-nickel. Unlike some other M-type asteroids, Psyche does not have any indication of the existence of a mineral containing water on its surface, which is consistent with the assumption that it is a metal object. A small amount of pyroxene may exist.

Therefore it seems that Psyche is the metal core of a larger object that has been destroyed. If this is true, there will be other asteroids with similar orbits. However, Psyche is not in any asteroid group. One theory is that the collision formed Psyche very early in the history of the Solar System, and all the other fragments were crushed by then collisions.

Psyche is big enough to be able to calculate its effect on other asteroids, which allows its mass estimation. According to IRAS data, Psyche has a diameter of 253 km. Observing its stellar eclipse shows that the size of 214 × 181 km, is smaller than the initial calculations, resulting in a larger density and is suitable for a metal asteroid. It seems that Psyche has a fairly uniform surface and has an ellipsoid shape. The results of recent light curve analysis show the poles of Psyche towards zodiac coordinates (β, λ) = (−9 °, 35 °) or (β, λ) = (−2 °, 215 ° ) with a 10 ° difference, making its reel tilt 95 °.

Twice Psyche obscured the star was observed from Mexico on March 22 and May 16, 2002. Different light curves show that the Psyche has no spherical shape, which is consistent with radar results. .

It is possible that at least some of the enstatite chondrite meteorites originate from Psyche because they have similar spectral analysis results with this asteroid.

Simulate the trajectory of Psyche.

Exploring the 16 Psyche asteroids

Currently, no spacecraft has visited Psyche. A group of scientists led by Lindy Elkins-Tanton proposed an unmanned spacecraft flying around the asteroid. They thought that Psyche needed to be studied because it was the only metal object ever discovered.

The proposed spacecraft will fly around Wisdom for 6 months to study the asteroid's terrain, surface characteristics, gravity, magnetism and other properties. They have been planning for a year and a half and plan to submit to NASA's Discovery Program.