Editor’s note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. (CNN) — For the first time, a NASA mission is setting off on a distant journey to visit a metal world in our solar system. Getting up close with the asteroid known as Psyche...
NASA’s Psyche mission aims to lift off October 12 — and be the first to explore a metal-rich asteroid that may be the exposed core of an early planetary building block.
The metal-rich asteroid is in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The namesake Psyche spacecraft is expected to lift off Thursday.have traveled to near-Earth asteroids that could potentially collide with Earth, but Psyche poses no threat to our planet. The giant space rock is about 235 million to 309 million miles from the sun.
The asteroid was discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on March 17, 1852. Named for the Greek goddess of the soul, Psyche is the largest M-type, or metallic, asteroid in our system. Radar and telescope observations of Psyche have revealed that the asteroid likely contains iron and trace amounts of nickel and other metals, all of which are abundant in the solar system, Landsman said. But the asteroid’s density suggests it isn’t made of solid metal. Psyche also appears to contain some rocky material and silicate, or the material detected in glass and sand.
“Every time a new study of Psyche is published, it raises more questions,” said Anicia Arredondo, lead author of a new paper on Psycheand postdoctoral researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Scientists believe that studying Psyche could help them address key questions about planet formation. Earth, Mercury and Mars have metallic cores, but they are too deep below their planets’ rocky shells to be seen or studied directly.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Editor\u0027s letter: why don\u0027t car makers throw all software in for free?BMW\u0027s attempt to charge for already installed heated seats shows there\u0027s a balancing act to be had
Read more »
NASA\u2019s Global Science Hackathon Attracts Thousands of Participants - NASAMore than 50,000 participants have registered for the 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge Saturday, Oct. 7, to Sunday, Oct. 8, which is the largest annual
Read more »
Why Oil Prices Soared—and Why They Are Sinking NowSeven charts that explain oil’s big price moves
Read more »
Ancient footprints really are oldest traces of humans in the Americas, scientists sayEditor&8217;s note: Editor’s note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. (CNN) — When the discovery of fossilized footprints made in what’s now New Mexico was made public in 2021, it was a bombshell moment for archaeology, seemingly rewriting a chapter of the...
Read more »
The NHL’s Highest-Paid Players 2023As a senior editor at Forbes, I report on the business of sports and edit coverage in Forbes.com's SportsMoney section. I previously served as an assistant managing editor, overseeing the website's network of nearly 3,000 contributors and the editors working with them, and as the deputy business editor, overseeing the business coverage at Forbes.com and working closely with the channel's contributing writers in digging up stories, developing angles and delivering strong analysis. In my pre-Forbes days, I worked in sports and business news as an editor at the New York Times.
Read more »
Unprecedented discovery seems to defy fundamental astronomical theoriesEditor&8217;s note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. (CNN) — New images from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed surprising pairs of planet-like objects in the Orion Nebula that have never been detected before. The Orion Nebula, a glowing cloud of...
Read more »