16 Psyche is one of the ten most massive main-belt asteroids. It is over 200 kilometers in diameter and contains a little less than 1% of the mass of the entire asteroid belt. It is the most massive metallic M-type asteroid.
Psyche was discovered by Annibale de Gasparis on March 17, 1852 from Naples and named after the Greek mythological figure Psyche. The first fifteen asteroids to be discovered were given symbols by astronomers as a type of short-hand notation. In 1851, however, J. F. Encke suggested using a circled number. 16 Psyche was the first new asteroid to be discovered that was designated with this scheme (in 1852 by J. Ferguson).
Read more about 16 Psyche: Characteristics
Famous quotes containing the word psyche:
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—Robert Warshow (1917–1955)