Psyche asteroid

3D Model

Psyche, minor planet designation: 16 Psyche, is one of the ten most massive asteroids in the asteroid belt. This object is over 200 km in diameter and contains about 1% of the mass of the entire asteroid belt. It is thought to be the exposed iron core of a protoplanet, and is the most massive metallic M-type asteroid. Psyche was discovered by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on 17 March 1852 from Naples and named after the Greek mythological figure Psyche. The prefix “16” signifies that it was the sixteenth minor planet in order of discovery.