Non-economics majors don't understand and dare not talk nonsense, but they still know the truth that "things are rare." Since the economic system was established, rare metals such as gold and silver have become hard currency. No matter how turbulent the world situation is, it is difficult to affect their status. In the final analysis, their reserves are "moderate" and can play this important role.

But the number of celestial bodies in the universe is incalculable. Even if there are about 200 billion stars in the Milky Way, each star has its own celestial system. Take the solar system as an example, there are planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets and other celestial debris around, and there are many satellites around the planet.

The composition of celestial bodies is different, and stars are mostly ionic States composed of hydrogen, helium and other elements. This gas giant planet has obvious layered structure. Take Jupiter as an example. The composition of the outermost gas is similar to that of the star, mainly hydrogen and helium, and then there is liquid hydrogen-metallic hydrogen, and the core is a rock core. Rocky celestial bodies are similar to the earth, with many components, mainly rocks and other metallic substances.

However, the composition of rock celestial bodies is also different. Gold and silver, which can become rare metals on earth, may be very abundant on other celestial bodies.

There is an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in the solar system, where a large number of asteroids and asteroid fragments are gathered, many of which were formed in the early solar system, so the detection of these asteroids is of great significance.

Scientists have previously discovered a special asteroid in the asteroid belt using the Hubble Space Telescope, and the research results have been published in the Journal of Planetary Science. Different from other asteroids, "psyche16" (16 psyche) is almost made of metal. Although its diameter is about 225 kilometers, it is not the largest, but its metal composition makes it one of the heaviest celestial bodies in the asteroid belt, with a very high density.

The main components are iron and nickel, but it also contains a lot of rare metals such as gold and silver. Scientists estimate that the value of this asteroid exceeds the economic aggregate on the earth, reaching $654.38+000 billion. Scientists joked that if this asteroid is brought back to Earth for mining, the total population of 7.8 billion people on the Earth can share the wealth of $654.38+$02 billion on average. Of course, everyone has money, so it's not really rich.

For this "expensive" asteroid, NASA has made a good exploration plan. It is expected that an unmanned probe will be launched by the "Heavy Falcon" rocket of Space Exploration Technology Company in 2022 to study this asteroid, which can help scientists understand its formation and evolution.

Tracy Becker, a planetary scientist and one of the main authors of this research paper, believes that this asteroid is so different from other members because it may have formed in different ways. Scientists speculate that "Psek 16" should be a big planet. It was collided by other celestial bodies in the solar system during its formation, which eventually led to the loss of its shell or the unsuccessful formation of its shell, thus becoming what it is today.

"Psek 16" is very similar to the earth's core, and the study of it can help scientists have a deeper understanding of the earth. Of course, the so-called mining is unrealistic and unnecessary. There are too many valuable celestial bodies in the universe, but it is meaningless if it really reaches the earth.

At present, human beings have the ability to collect samples from aliens and return to Earth. In fact, it can be completed from the last century. For example, on the moon, unmanned detectors in the former Soviet Union collected samples and returned to Earth. Recently, for example, Hayabusa II of Japan collected samples of the Dragon Palace asteroid on its way back. It is expected that by the end of this year, it will leave samples and start a new journey. NASA's "OSIRIS-REx" probe completed the sample collection of the Benu bird asteroid last month and is expected to return to Earth in 2023.

In the future, when mankind enters the space age, more and more other celestial bodies will be discovered, most of which are mainly based on research rather than mining. Even if human beings mine in the future, they will concentrate on some important energy sources, rather than "useless" gold and silver.

Text/science black hole, image source network intrusion.

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