Failed Planet 16 Psyche is a rare metal asteroid possibly comprised of iron, nickel and gold, but that’s based only on observations of its brightness made by telescopes. Around 173 miles (279 kilometers) wide, it’s thought to be the core of a failed planet, which makes it of great interest to planetary astronomers. It’s one of the most massive objects in the asteroid belt. Earth has a metal core, a mantle and crust. Metal asteroids are considered the probable source of iron meteorites found on Earth. “For many years, M-type asteroids were thought to be the cores of planetesimals, or small planets, stripped of their silicates and organic mantles by collisions in the early solar system,” said Noemí Pinilla-Alonso, a planetary scientist with University of Central Florida’s Florida Space Institute, who is using the new Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT) in the Canary Islands, Spain, to study metal-rich M-type asteroids. “A more recent theory, based on detailed studies of the largest M-type asteroid, 16 Psyche, argues that these bodies formed much closer to the sun, were stripped of their thin crusts while still partially molten, and later dynamically moved to their current location.” Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. Follow me on