What secrets does the 100,000 trillion USD asteroid hide?

The metal-rich asteroid Psyche may have once spewed molten iron and nickel onto its surface.

Asteroid Psyche may have once had vents spewing out molten metal, but only if it had a chemical composition similar to rare, metal-rich meteorites, according to new research. This could explain why the asteroid has an unusual metallic crust. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU.

The asteroid Psyche, discovered in 1852 and located between Mars and Jupiter, is exceptionally shiny. At 279 km across at its widest point, the potato-shaped asteroid is one of the largest known asteroids in the Solar System. Image: Jorritsma, JJ, & van Westrenen, W. (2025). Constraints on the feasibility of ferrovolcanism on asteroid 16 Psyche. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 130, e2024JE008811. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008811.

Some initial observations suggest that the composition of this celestial body may include gold, iron, nickel and many other metals with an estimated total value of 10,000,000 billion USD. Photo: NASA.

Radar measurements show that on average, Psyche's surface reflects nearly a third of the sunlight that falls on it, making it at least twice as reflective as most other asteroids. Because of its reflective properties, scientists have hypothesized that Psyche is not primarily metallic, but may actually have an exposed iron-rich core of a planetary building block. Photo: news.mit.edu.

Planetary scientist Samuel Courville of Arizona State University describes the asteroid Psyche as “a relic from the dawn of the solar system.” However, this shine may be just skin deep. In 2020, calculations involving updated estimates of Psyche’s mass and volume suggested the asteroid’s density was between 3,700 kg/cubic meter and 4,100 kg/cubic meter. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU.

Although denser than most asteroids, Psyche's density is only about half what would be expected if it were made entirely of iron and nickel. Combined with surface thermal emission data, experts say that although Psyche's mass is largely non-metallic, the asteroid may have a metal-rich crust. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU.

Scientists are still unsure how the asteroid Psyche got its crust. While there are several possible causes, one popular theory is ferrovolcanism. Image: JPL/Corby Waste.

“A ferromagnetic volcano is just like a regular volcano, except instead of molten rock, the lava it erupts is molten metal,” said planetary scientist Courville, who was not involved in the new study. Photo: Peter Rubin/ASU.

According to the new study, Psyche would likely have experienced ferromagnetic volcanism if it contained large amounts of mesosiderite. H-chondrites (common stony meteorites, with moderate iron content) can also lead to eruptions of molten metal, but only if they are relatively dense. EH-chondrites (rare stony meteorites, lacking iron) by contrast produce only small cores without an iron-rich outer shell. Image: NASA/Youtube.

Scientists say NASA's Psyche spacecraft mission will provide evidence to help solve the mystery of the Psyche asteroid, which has an estimated value of $10,000,000 billion. NASA's spacecraft is expected to land on the Psyche asteroid in July 2029 and will have two years to take pictures and collect data. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Universe map with more than 900,000 stars, galaxies and black holes. Source: THĐT1.

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