{"id":3732,"date":"2026-03-19T23:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T23:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrarara.com.br\/en\/?page_id=3732"},"modified":"2026-03-19T23:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T23:45:09","slug":"o-misterio-do-asteroide-de-metal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/terrarara.com.br\/en\/?page_id=3732","title":{"rendered":"The mystery of the metal asteroid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A giant crater may reveal whether Psyche is a lost planet”s core or a cosmic mashup. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\r\n\tdoi.org\/10.1029\/2025JE009231<\/a>
Credibility<\/a>: 9<\/font>8<\/font>9<\/font>
#Psyche<\/a><\/p>

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\r\n\tAsteroid 16 Psyche, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, has intrigued scientists for over 200 years<\/strong><\/p>

At approximately 226 kilometers in diameter, it is the largest known metal-rich object in this region, a rarity since less than 10% of asteroids in the belt contain such a high quantity of metal.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nMany researchers believe that Psyche may be the exposed core of a primitive planet that was destroyed by violent impacts in the early Solar System, losing its rocky outer layers.<\/p>

\r\nOther hypotheses suggest that it was always very rich in metal from the beginning or that it formed from repeated collisions that uniformly mixed rock and metal.<\/p>

\r\nEach of these possibilities tells a different story about how rocky planets, like Earth, formed.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nTo help unravel this enigma, scientists at the University of Arizona conducted detailed simulations of the formation of a large crater near the asteroid’s north pole.<\/p>

\r\nThis crater, approximately 48 kilometers wide and 5 kilometers deep, may reveal clues about what lies inside Psyche.<\/p>

\r\nSimulations tested different internal compositions-one with a metallic core covered by a thin rocky layer and another with metal and rock well mixed-and showed that porosity, that is, the amount of empty space inside the asteroid, greatly influences the shape of the crater and the way material is ejected during an impact.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nIf there is sufficient porosity, the asteroid absorbs the energy of the collision better, creating deeper and steeper craters, with less debris scattered across the surface.<\/p>

\r\nThese details, combined with real observations, will help distinguish which internal model best fits reality.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nNASA’s Psyche mission, launched in 2023, will arrive at the asteroid in 2029 and spend about two years orbiting it.<\/p>

\r\nThe spacecraft is equipped with instruments to map the surface, measure the gravitational and magnetic fields, and analyze the chemical composition.<\/p>

\r\nAlong with the predictions from the simulations, this data should finally clarify whether Psyche is truly an exposed planetary core or a more complex and mixed body.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nScientists compare this exploration to investigating an abandoned pizzeria: even without seeing the cooks, the ovens, leftover dough, and toppings reveal how the pizzas were made.<\/p>

\r\nSimilarly, studying Psyche could give us a unique window into understanding processes that occurred billions of years ago in the formation of planets-something we cannot directly observe in the cores of Earth, Mars, or Venus.<\/p>

\r\nWhen the spacecraft arrives, teams of geologists, geochemists, and modelers will work together to interpret everything they see, and this preparatory work is already giving a significant advantage in unlocking the secrets of this metallic world.

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Published in 03\/19\/2026 23h45<\/em><\/p>\r\n

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Portuguese version<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n

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Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption. Information about DOI, author and institution can be found in the body of the article.<\/p>\r\n\t\t

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