Have you ever seen a planet full of gold? It not only exists but is also very close to Earth, and we even hope to mine its gold deposits.
This special asteroid was first discovered in 1852 and observed through the telescopes of the time. Astronomers named it 16 Psyche, also known as “The Spiritual Star.”
It is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Unlike other asteroids in the belt, 16 Psyche is very large, many times bigger than typical asteroids, making it stand out prominently in the asteroid belt.
Asteroid 16 Psyche.
According to calculations, the diameter of 16 Psyche is about 210 km, and its mass could reach up to 272 million tons. Although its mass is not large compared to Earth, being only about 1/220,000 of Earth’s mass, in comparison to other asteroids in the belt, 16 Psyche could account for six-thousandths of the total mass of the entire asteroid belt.
Besides its unusually large size, the most interesting aspect of 16 Psyche is that it contains a vast amount of gold—estimated to be worth around $10 trillion, which is over 10,000 times the value of the global economy. This is also the place with the most gold in our Solar System.
Astronomers have used advanced space spectroscopy technology to analyze and discover that the surface of this asteroid is rich in metals such as gold, platinum, iron, nickel, and copper, most of which are precious metals.
This asteroid contains a wealth of gold.
NASA scientists believe that some mineral veins on this asteroid contain a large quantity of alloys including gold, platinum, and copper, and their distribution range is very wide.
So why does this asteroid, nicknamed “The Spiritual Star,” have such a rich and wondrous “treasure”? Currently, humanity has no spacecraft that has landed on or systematically explored 16 Psyche. Therefore, the scientific community has many speculations about the formation of 16 Psyche.
One of the most widely accepted claims today is that 16 Psyche is actually the core of a planet that no longer exists.
This is also the place with the most gold in our Solar System.
In the astronomical community, the asteroid belt in our Solar System has always been a focus of interest for astronomers. The asteroids within it not only separate rocky planets from larger gas giants in the Solar System but also prevent many celestial bodies from the universe from approaching Earth in dense quantities and at high speeds.
It can be said that without the protective asteroid belt, Earth’s civilization could have faced extinction multiple times. Scientists also have various hypotheses about the reason for the formation of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
One of the most famous claims is that there was initially no asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Instead, there was a rocky planet, roughly the size of Earth, existing there. But over time, due to some external factors, this planet was completely shattered.
There are hypotheses that 16 Psyche was once the core of a planet.
As time passed, the fragments of these planets rubbed against each other and collided, forming countless small celestial bodies. Under the gravitational influence of the Sun, these fragments formed a relatively stable state in the Solar System, subsequently orbiting the Sun and forming the asteroid belt we see today.
The fragments of these planets rubbed against each other and collided, forming countless small celestial bodies.
The reason why the volume of 16 Psyche is much larger than other asteroids is primarily because it was formed from the core of a planet (this remains a hypothesis).
Since the core of a planet is very stable and rich in metals, its entire structure is very solid, and it will not shatter during collisions and friction with typical celestial bodies, nor will its volume decrease because of this.
This claim has also been accepted by quite a few astronomers. Because on Earth, the deepest part of our planet also contains various metals.
The core at the center of the Earth primarily consists of iron and nickel, but due to the high temperatures inside the core, most of it exists in liquid form. On the surface of the Earth, most of these elements consist of non-metallic elements such as oxygen, silicon, and carbon, which themselves have a weaker structure and are easily fragmented.
The core at the center of the Earth primarily consists of iron and nickel.
The metals on 16 Psyche are mostly precious metals, further confirming that it is very likely the core of a planet, while the remaining parts on the surface of the original planet were unstable in structure and quickly shattered, becoming an asteroid belt of countless fragments wandering in the Solar System.
Aside from the hypothesis that 16 Psyche was once the core of a planet, some conspiracy theorists even believe that 16 Psyche is actually debris from a spacecraft belonging to a distant alien civilization.
Because of this, some believe that the civilization on Earth today may have originated from these alien planets. They suggest that this original planet shattered and died for various reasons, and then life on that planet migrated to Earth and gradually evolved into the human civilization we have today.
Although such claims may seem bizarre, in reality, we have yet to explore the past of 16 Psyche. Therefore, until sufficient evidence is available, these speculations can only be considered as references.
In the future, as human aerospace technology develops to a certain extent, we may continue to unravel the mysteries of 16 Psyche. Of course, that day may not be too far away. As 16 Psyche is estimated to be only 370 million kilometers from Earth, which is even closer than the distance from Earth to Mars.
Currently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to visit this asteroid in 2026 to explore it, and more importantly, to consider the potential for mining the enormous wealth at 16 Psyche.
Just imagine, one day in the future, when human scientific and technological capabilities have progressed to a certain level, we may be able to mine gold from 16 Psyche. The minerals extracted could return to Earth, potentially causing gold on Earth to gradually depreciate and become as common as other ordinary metals.
However, even if we are capable of mining various resources from space in the future, we should adhere to a series of relevant rules and not over-exploit them.
After all, the elements on Earth are finite, and so are those on 16 Psyche; over-exploitation of its resources could indirectly affect the safety of our planet. However, at this moment, everything remains a mystery.
