• A_A@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 year ago

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_Psyche is a large M-type asteroid (…) named after the Greek goddess Psyche. The prefix “16” signifies that it was the sixteenth minor planet in order of discovery. It is the largest and most massive of the M-type asteroids, and one of the dozen most massive asteroids. It has a mean diameter of approximately 220 kilometres (…) …Historically, it was hypothesized to be the exposed core of a protoplanet, but numerous recent studies have all but ruled that out. Psyche will be explored by a spacecraft of the same name, marking the first time a manmade object will journey to a metallic asteroid. Launch is planned for no earlier than 12 October 2023, with an expected arrival in 2029.

    • OneWomanCreamTeam
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      Psyche will be explored by a spacecraft of the same name, marking the first time a manmade object will journey to a metallic asteroid. Launch is planned for no earlier than 12 October 2023,

      This alone is so much more exciting than that dumb headline.