This planet makes earthlings wealthy

A planet full of gold and nickel, whose value could make anyone on earth an instant billionaire. It sounds almost too good to be true; yet this planet exists. Somewhere between Mars and Jupiter, a mere 497 million kilometers from the sun...

maandag 6 februari 2023
13:47
Door: Fleur De Jong

Named after a Greek goddess, Psyche was discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1852. And with a diameter of about 226 kilometers, the golden planet is about as wide as the distance from Amsterdam to Brussels.

According to scientists, Psyche could be the bare metallic core of a dead planet, unlike other planets where the core is often covered in rocky mantles. A study shows that the planet is made almost entirely of iron, nickel and gold. A NASA scientist calculated that the iron alone cost a sloppy € 9 trillion - a 9 with 18 zeros - could be worth.

But before we cheer too soon; NASA is going to investigate first. Recently, the space agency announced the launch of the Psyche mission. It is targeting a launch around Oct. 10.