Asteroid
16 Psyche
A metal-rich main-belt asteroid and NASA mission target.
- Type
- Asteroid
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Connections
- 4
NASA/Kennedy · NASA media (public domain)
- Type: Asteroid
- Domain: Scientific connections
Orbit & physical parameters
Osculating orbit and physical parameters from the NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Main-belt Asteroid · epoch 2026-06-09 (JD 2461200.5 TDB) · Earth MOID 1.53339 au
| Semi-major axis | 2.92572 ± 2.8949e-9 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Eccentricity | 0.134932 ± 2.9630e-9 | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Perihelion distance | 2.530946 ± 9.9504e-9 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Aphelion distance | 3.320495 ± 3.2856e-9 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Inclination | 3.098749 ± 2.9600e-7 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Longitude of ascending node | 149.975386 ± 6.0558e-6 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Argument of perihelion | 230.032678 ± 6.1737e-6 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Orbital period | 1,828 ± 2.7130e-6 d | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Diameter | 222 km | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Geometric albedo | 0.1203 ± 0.004 | NASA JPL · estimated |
| Rotation period | 4.196 h | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 6.2 mag | NASA JPL · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- Semi-major axis: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · a · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Eccentricity: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · e · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Perihelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · q · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Aphelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · ad · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Inclination: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · i · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Longitude of ascending node: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · om · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Argument of perihelion: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · w · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Orbital period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · per · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Diameter: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.diameter · catalogued value · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Geometric albedo: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.albedo · Bayesian estimate · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Rotation period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.rot_per · catalogued value · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Absolute magnitude (H): Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.H · catalogued value · JPL solution by Ryan Park, 7401 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
Orbital elements are a calculated JPL orbit-determination fit, all referred to the single osculating epoch above (solution by Ryan Park); each carries its own uncertainty. Fields the database did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Experience system V6
Small-body profile
A catalog-first story for orbit class, discovery, physical parameters, and planetary-defense context when recorded.
- 01
Observe
NASA imagery anchors the visual reading with licensed source metadata.
- 02
Measure
Measurement panels use graph coverage, catalog identifiers, and source availability without inventing values.
- 03
Locate
Part of Solar System.
- 04
Connect
4 graph relations shape the knowledge viewport.
- Object type
- Asteroid
- Graph relations
- 4
- Verified sources
- 2
- Image records
- 4
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Status
- Graph entity
Scientific map
Orbit context
- Primary orbital anchor
- The Sun
- Measured orbit field
- Orbital distance not recorded in this graph record
Original SVG diagram
Small-body anatomy
- Designation
- (16) Psyche
- Discovery
- Annibale de Gasparis, 1852
- Eccentricity
- Not recorded
- Inclination
- Not recorded
Visual knowledge graph
Relationships, not isolated facts
This viewport is generated from the Asteria knowledge graph. Science, culture, and interpretive links remain separated by domain so visual context never changes the evidentiary meaning of a relation.
- Member of groupMain Asteroid Belt
- Associated withMetal Extraction
- TargetsPsyche
- Part ofSolar System
Image provenance
Photography as evidence
Continue the atlas
Curated next objects
Solar System
The Sun and the bodies gravitationally bound to it.
minor planet groupMain Asteroid Belt
The main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, home to the great majority of known asteroids — from the dwarf planet Ceres down to countless small bodies.
space missionPsyche
Psyche is travelling to the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche to study a possible exposed planetary core.
isru techniqueMetal Extraction
Extracting metals — iron, nickel, and precious metals — from asteroids and from lunar and Martian regolith, to build structures in space without lifting the mass from Earth. Metal-rich M-type asteroids such as Psyche are studied as future resources.
asteroid10 Hygiea
A large, dark asteroid in the outer main belt.
asteroid2 Pallas
One of the most massive asteroids in the main belt.
Observation
How this was captured
- Source
- NASA
- Observation date
- 2023-10-11
Gallery
Psyche Mission and Science Briefing
Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Psyche principal investigator, Arizona State University, participates in a Psyche mission and science briefing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Oct.
2023
NASA/Kennedy · NASA media (public domain)
Data
Scientific data & provenance
Data & provenance
- Stable ID
asteroid:psyche- Type
- Asteroid
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Relationships
- 4
- Graph version
- 1.0.0
Dataset membership
Open data
In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld
Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/asteroid:psyche
Scientific quality
Substantial4 of 6 applicable dimensions complete
- Description
- Complete
- Source coverage
- Complete
- Relationship coverage
- Complete
- Review coverage
- None
- Citation coverage
- None
- Image coverage
- Complete
- Timeline coverage
- Not applicable
Scientific entity. Dimensions that cannot apply to this object are excluded rather than counted as gaps. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.
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Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.