{"id":339848,"date":"2026-03-20T22:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T22:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/339848\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T22:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T22:31:09","slug":"asteroid-16-psyches-craters-could-hold-the-answers-to-its-mysterious-formation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/339848\/","title":{"rendered":"Asteroid 16 Psyche’s Craters Could Hold the Answers to Its Mysterious Formation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asteroid 16 Psyche, one of the largest and most enigmatic objects in the asteroid belt, is set to be the focal point of NASA\u2019s Psyche mission in 2029. But as scientists eagerly await the spacecraft\u2019s arrival, a new study offers critical clues about the asteroid\u2019s composition, challenging longstanding theories about its origin. Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, this groundbreaking research leverages simulations of massive craters on Psyche\u2019s surface to predict the structure of this metallic asteroid, helping guide the upcoming mission\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n

The study, led by researchers at the University of Arizona\u2019s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL), is the first to rigorously simulate the formation of large craters on Psyche. By recreating the impact processes that might have shaped the asteroid, scientists hope to uncover whether Psyche is a planetary fragment or a remnant of a primitive, metal-rich object from the early solar system. <\/p>\n

Simulating Psyche\u2019s Craters to Understand Its Interior<\/p>\n

According to Namya Baijal, a doctoral candidate at LPL and the first author of the study<\/a>, the formation of large impact craters on Psyche offers vital clues about the asteroid\u2019s internal composition. <\/p>\n

\u201cLarge impact basins or craters excavate deep into the asteroid, which gives clues about what its interior is made of,\u201d said Baijal. \u201cBy simulating the formation of one of its largest craters, we were able to make testable predictions for Psyche\u2019s overall composition when the spacecraft arrives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers focused on a prominent crater near Psyche\u2019s north pole, simulating how it might have formed under two different models: one where Psyche <\/a>has a layered structure with a metal-rich core and rocky mantle, and another where the asteroid is a uniform mix of metal and silicate. Their simulations, which involved virtual impactors hitting the asteroid at typical collision speeds, suggested that an impactor about three miles across would create a crater of the right dimensions, matching both proposed interior models.<\/p>\n

Baijal emphasized the importance of considering the asteroid\u2019s porosity, its internal emptiness, often overlooked in past models. \u201cOne of our main findings was that the porosity, the amount of empty space inside the asteroid, plays a significant role in how these craters form,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n

\u201cPorosity is often ignored because it\u2019s difficult to include in models, but our simulations show it can strongly affect the impact process and shape of craters left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Large(a) Latest shape model of Psyche from Shepard et al. (2021) with spin axis oriented up. (b) Two end-members for Psyche\u2019s interior structure (left) a mixed metal-silicate interior throughout (right) a layered interior with a large iron core surrounded by a dunite-like mantle. (c) Cross-sectional profile of NP crater extracted from the shape model. Diameter is \u223c50 km and depth is \u223c5.1 km. Credit: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2026). DOI: 10.1029\/2025je009231<\/p>\n

Psyche\u2019s Puzzle: Could It Be an Exposed Planetary Core?<\/p>\n

The new study also touches on the larger question of Psyche\u2019s origins. Scientists have long speculated that the asteroid might be an exposed core of a larger planetesimal that was shattered during violent collisions in the early solar system. This would make Psyche a rare, direct glimpse into the metallic heart of a planetesimal, offering clues about the processes that shaped our solar system\u2019s planets.<\/p>\n

As Erik Asphaug, a professor at LPL and co-author of the study, put it, <\/p>\n

\u201cThe cooks have long left, but you can look at what\u2019s left behind\u2014the ovens, scraps of dough, the toppings\u2014and make inferences about how the pizzas were made. We can\u2019t get to the cores of Earth or Mars or Venus, but maybe we can get to the core of an early asteroid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two models tested in the study propose different scenarios: a layered structure with a metallic core and rocky mantle, created by a collision that stripped the outer layers, and a more chaotic mixture of metal and silicate, formed by catastrophic impacts. The study\u2019s results suggest that either scenario could explain the observed crater dimensions, leaving researchers with more questions than answers, but importantly, offering a clear starting point for future research.<\/p>\n

\"Jgre70158(a) Time series of a 4.5\u00a0km radius projectile hitting a layered Psyche target with a 20% porous, spherical iron core, and surrounding porous dunite mantle. (b)\u00a0Same impactor striking a crushable, weaker 10% porous stony-iron Psyche (c)\u00a0same impactor striking an interior with intermediate crushing strength (d)\u00a0Time series of the impact into a stronger, resistant to crushing Psyche target with 10% porosity. All impacts occur at 45\u00b0. The colors represent distension, a measure of porosity where 1 corresponds to 0% porosity (red), 1.1 is 10% and 1.25 20% porosity (blue) respectively. Left to right follows the excavation of the crater cavity, followed by the formation of the transient crater, redistributing metal to the surface, and lastly the final North Pole (NP)\u00a0crater formation.<\/p>\n

A Critical Head Start for NASA\u2019s Psyche Mission<\/p>\n

The simulation\u2019s detailed predictions of how impacts could shape Psyche\u2019s surface are invaluable for interpreting the spacecraft\u2019s findings. <\/p>\n

\u201cBy rigorously treating Psyche\u2019s shape, porosity and composition, this work represents a true watershed moment for our capacity to realistically simulate impacts into unique types of asteroids,\u201d said Adeene Denton, a postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study.<\/p>\n

These insights will guide the mission\u2019s team of geochemists, geologists, and modelers when they begin to examine Psyche\u2019s surface in just a few years.<\/p>\n

As the team prepares for the spacecraft\u2019s arrival in 2029, Asphaug notes the importance of this study in setting the stage for a more precise interpretation of the data:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the spacecraft arrives at Psyche in a few years, the geochemists, geologists and modelers on the team will all be looking at the same object and trying to interpret what we see. This work gives us a head start.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Asteroid 16 Psyche, one of the largest and most enigmatic objects in the asteroid belt, is set to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-339848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}