As astonishing as it may seem, NASA may have discovered an asteroid filled with gold. According to International Business Times, NASA discovered this asteroid, called Psyche 16, between Mars and Jupiter.
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An asteroid that could be a boon for the entire Earth?
Reports are that this celestial body is mainly composed of solid metals, such as gold, platinum, nickel, and iron. The quantities of these metals could be so great that ‘if they were brought to planet Earth, every inhabitant would be rich and all economic problems would be solved.’
This asteroid is estimated at more than ‘£700 quintillion, or in other words, £93 trillion per inhabitant on Earth.’
However, in case you were hoping to get your hands on some of the wealth this asteroidhas to offer then you really aren't in luck. The Psyche 16 is actually 230 million miles from Earth and 140 miles across and it doesn't look like humans will be mining it anytime soon.
How was this asteroid discovered?
According to Curioctopus, this asteroid was discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale De Gasparis. However, it is NASA who evaluated the economic potential of this asteroid.
The space agency has also recently decided to undertake a mission, called the Discovery Mission, to the celestial body, with the intention of reaching it in 2026. The reason researchers are so interested in this celestial object is because its metal structure suggests it could have actually once been the core of another planet. The Discovery Mission will then travel to outer space to help NASA gain a better understanding of what lies at the Earth's own core. How exciting!
