Monday, 7 September 2009

solar system - Is there a photo that shows a iron meteor or asteroid in space in raw form having no layers of fusion crust?

In short, no.



The reason is that while finding meteorites on Earth is hard, finding them in space is a lot harder. A small asteroid, weighing only a few kg can't be spotted while it is still in space. The first we know of them is when they make their fiery descent.



On the other hand, there are some large asteroids that are metallic, such as 16 Psyche, and we have direct images of other large asteroids. Metallic asteroids are relatively rare, and have a higher albedo than stony asteroids, and much more than comets. However they are not shiny balls of metal. After a few billion years in space they absorb 80% of the light that falls on them.

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