Asteroid UW-158 contains platinum (Picture: Getty)

A pretty fancy asteroid is passing by earth this weekend.

Just a flying visit, you understand.

Asteroid UW-158 – which is said to contain around £3 trillion worth of platinum – will be 30 times closer than the nearest planet come 10pm on Sunday night (July 19).

The comet should be close enough for stargazers to enjoy the show.


Because UW-158 contains precious metal, it has been identified as a good target for robotic mining missions in the near future.

Slooh – a community observatory based at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands – describe the asteroid as less than a kilometre in width.

They explain that the rock ‘has captured the attention of asteroid miners who wish to tap into the bountiful resources of the solar system.’



They’re also holding a live show for people who might want to catch a glimpse of the asteroid but don’t have a telescope.

MORE: Loch Ness monster is actually a cat fish, says ‘expert’

MORE: This gorilla really doesn’t want her photo taken