# Base asteroid mechanics & pink drops
Observed Game Fact While playing Idle Planet Miner, asteroids periodically traverse your solar system view. Tapping an asteroid yields a lump sum of materials:
- Gray Asteroids: Yield an instant supply of raw ore corresponding to planets you have unlocked.
- Pink Asteroids: Drop refined alloys directly (e.g. Copper Bars, Iron Bars, Lead, Titanium, and higher alloys), allowing you to skip hours of smelter time.
- Base Frequency: By default, exactly 1 in every 10 asteroids (10%) rolls as a pink asteroid.
# The multiplicative math ("Tower Math")
Community Knowledge A frequent source of confusion among new players is reading module cards that state “+7.5% Pink Asteroid Chance” and expecting their total rate to jump from 10% to 17.5%.
In thread 1wmnhsx[1], players breakdown the underlying calculation. As veteran u/The__Gerb and u/No-Thanks4155 explain:
“They use tower math :) It’s multiplicative, so 10% × 1.075 = 10.75%, not 10% + 7.5%.”
Because the bonus multiplies your base 10% rate rather than adding a flat percentage, early Epic modules offer only subtle improvements (from 40/400 to 43/400 procs)[1].
# Module tier breakdown (Epic to Ancient)
Observed Game Fact As you upgrade and fuse module cards, the percentage increase to pink asteroid probability scales across rarity tiers:
| Module tier | Card text bonus | Effective spawn rate | Math formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base (No module) | 0% | 10.0% | 0.10 × 1.00 |
| Epic | +7.5% | 10.75% | 0.10 × 1.075 |
| Legendary | +20.0% | 12.0% | 0.10 × 1.20 |
| Mythic | +30.0% | 13.0% | 0.10 × 1.30 |
| Ancient | +40.0% | 14.0% | 0.10 × 1.40 |
Recommendation In community evaluations (thread 1wmnhsx[1]), player u/Mellikz notes that while Epic tier boosts are barely noticeable, Legendary and higher tiers (+20% to +40%) provide tangible spikes in rare alloy drops, significantly smoothing out galaxy reset times.
# Scan Harmonizer vs Belt Sonar
Community Knowledge In beacon research and scanner projects (thread 1wnqxus[2]), players debate whether to choose the Scan Harmonizer or the Belt Sonar:
- Scan Harmonizer Advantage: Player u/Yurconale points out: “I prefer the scan harmonizer. That extra pink asteroid and debris early in a new galaxy gives the jump needed to advance fast.”[2]
- Late Endgame Shift: Veteran u/Sordonir notes that only players achieving multi-decillion galaxy values in under 2 hours benefit more from raw asteroid frequency (Belt Sonar); for the vast majority of players, pink alloy quality overrides raw frequency[2].
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