Astronomers claim that this asteroid actually contains a platinum core worth £3.5 trillion and it is expected to pass Earth at around 10pm on Sunday, attracting the interest of asteroid-mining companies.
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Unlike many asteroids sighted so far which were smaller rocks held together loosely by gravity, the Asteroid 2011 UW158 has an odd shape like an unshielded walnut with a diameter of 300 by 600 meters (1000 X 2000 feet), and it was rotating once in every 37 minutes, said Arecibo Observatory. The event is available to watch live online publicly. The asteroid will pass just 1.5282 million miles (2.4594 million kilometres), or 6.4 lunar distances, from Earth at 14:37UT today.
Slooh, a project which links telescopes to the internet for public use, will be broadcasting images from an observatory in the Canary Islands.
However, the asteroid has nothing damaging for the earth inhabitants and can not be seen with naked eyes as the distance is too far and one will have to rely on telescopes to see it.
Berman also added that the huge amount of platinum on the asteroid is what makes it unusual.
This is one of many asteroids being closely observed for its rare properties, and potential to provide resources which can be mined and brought to earth by robotics in the future, “The size, composition, and orbit of 2011 UW158 have gained it a place on the short list of asteroids that might make a good target for robotic mining missions in the near future”.
The company has already catalogued dozens of similar asteroids across the solar system. It will test the systems’ resilience in the brutal environment in space. Diamandis, Co-Chairman and Co-Founder of Planetary Resources, a successful deployment of A3R will be a significant achievement for the company in its efforts of prospecting resource-rich space rocks.
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Because of asteroids’ lucrative content, particularly the 2011 UW-158, asteroid mining is now being looked at by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a company named Planetary Sources. He said that a team is working towards developing the technology which will enable humanity to create an economy which is dependent on off-planetary resources, and will change the way of life on Earth forever.
