A large Mars meteorite, North West Africa 16788, has been auctioned for $4.3 million, making it the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth. Discovered in Niger, the rock's sale illustrates the increasing fascination with space exploration and the rare nature of Martian meteorites.
Historic Martian Meteorite Fetches $4.3 Million at Auction
Historic Martian Meteorite Fetches $4.3 Million at Auction
An exceptional piece of Martian history sells for a staggering price, highlighting growing interest in extraterrestrial materials.
An extraordinary fragment of Mars, known as North West Africa 16788, has made headlines after selling for an impressive $4.3 million at a recent Sotheby’s auction held in New York. This remarkable meteorite, weighing in at 54 pounds (24.5 kg) and measuring nearly 15 inches (38.1 cm) long, is now hailed as the largest ever found on Earth, dwarfing the next biggest Martian meteorite by 70%.
Discovered in a remote sector of Niger in November 2023, the reddish-brown rock was deemed "unbelievably rare" by representatives at Sotheby’s. To date, only about 400 Martian meteorites have been identified on our planet, marking this sale as a significant event in the world of science and collector items.
Cassandra Hatton, the vice-chairman of science and natural history at Sotheby’s, expressed that the likelihood of this meteorite reaching the Earth is astronomically low due to the vastness of space and land distribution. “Remember that approximately 70% of Earth's surface is covered in water. So we're incredibly lucky that this landed on dry land instead of the middle of the ocean where we could actually find it,” she stated in an online video.
The future destination of the auctioned meteorite remains uncertain, as details of the purchase will not be disclosed. Taking into account additional taxes and fees, the total cost for the buyer comes to around $5.3 million. The auction itself featured over 100 items, including notable sales like a Ceratosaurus skeleton that fetched an astounding $26 million and a Pachycephalosaurus skull sold for $1.4 million. This event not only showcases the allure of space materials but also the broader fascination humans have with exploring and understanding the cosmos.
