Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have identified a component of water on the mysterious metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The findings suggest the hydration exists as rust and may shed light on how this enigmatic object formed.
The asteroid 16 Psyche is pretty unusual for the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Measuring an enormous 173 miles (280 kilometers) at its widest, the potato-shaped object was once thought to be wholly metallic. Psyche’s supershiny surface had led researchers to suggest the asteroid was possibly the iron-rich heart of a planetesimal (a planetary building block) and could unravel how Earth and the other terrestrial planets formed. Some have valued the asteroid’s rare metal components at $100,000 quadrillion — a literal goldmine in space.
This hypothesis about the rock’s composition, in fact, is what motivated NASA’s ongoing Psyche mission. Launched in October 2023, it’s expected to reach the asteroid in 2029 to study it in-depth.
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