Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Annibale de Gasparis |
Discovery site | Naples Observatory |
Discovery date | 17 March 1852 |
Designations | |
Designation | (16) Psyche |
Pronunciation | /ˈsaɪkiː/[1] |
Named after | Psyche (Ψυχή) |
Main belt | |
Adjectives | Psychean (/saɪˈkiːən/)[2] |
Symbol | (historical) |
Orbital characteristics[3] | |
Epoch 13 September 2023 (JD 2460200.5) | |
Aphelion | 3.32 AU (497 million km) |
Perihelion | 2.53 AU (378 million km) |
2.92 AU (437 million km) | |
Eccentricity | 0.1342 |
4.999 yr (1825.95 d) | |
243.16° | |
Inclination | 3.096° |
150.03° | |
27 April 2025 | |
229.41° | |
Earth MOID | 1.53 AU (229 million km) |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | (278±5 × 232±6 × 164±4) km[4] 277 km × 238 km × 168 km[4][a] 279 × 232 × 189 km (± 10%)[5] (278+4 −8 × 238+4 −6 × 171+1 −5) km[6] |
Mean diameter | 223±3 km[7] 222±4 km[4] 222+1 −4 km[6] |
Flattening | 0.41[b] |
Volume | 5.75×106 km3 (best fit)[6] |
Mass | (2.29±0.14)×1019 kg[8] |
Mean density | 3.977±0.253 g/cm3 |
~0.144 m/s2[5] | |
~180 m/s[5] (~600 ft/s) | |
4.195948±0.000001 h[5][6] | |
Albedo | 0.15±0.03[4] 0.34±0.08 (radar)[6] |
Spectral type | Tholen = M[3] SMASS = X[3] Bus-DeMeo = Xk[9] |
9.22 to 12.19 | |
6.21[3] | |
16 Psyche (/ˈsaɪkiː/ SY-kee) is a large M-type asteroid, which was discovered by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, on 17 March 1852 and named after the Greek goddess Psyche.[10] The prefix "16" signifies that it was the sixteenth minor planet in order of discovery. It is the largest and most massive of the M-type asteroids, and one of the dozen most massive asteroids. It has a mean diameter of approximately 220 kilometers (140 mi) and contains about one percent of the mass of the asteroid belt. It was thought to be the exposed core of a protoplanet,[11] but recent observations cast doubt on that hypothesis.[8][6] Psyche will be explored by NASA, with a spacecraft of the same name, marking the first time a manmade object will journey to a metallic asteroid, launched on 13 October 2023,[12] with an expected arrival in 2029.[13]
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