The largest piece of Mars ever to be found on Earth fetched an impressive $4.3 million at auction on Wednesday in New York City. This remarkable meteorite, cataloged as NWA 16788, weighs 54 pounds (24.5 kilograms) and measures nearly 15 inches (38.1 centimeters) in length, as reported by Sotheby's. Discovered in a remote area of Niger in November 2023, this meteorite is described as exceptionally rare, being 70% larger than the next largest known Martian fragment.
Sotheby's, which hosted the auction, characterized this reddish-brown rock as "unbelievably rare," citing that only about 400 Martian meteorites have ever been located on Earth. Cassandra Hatton, the auction house's vice-chairman of science and natural history, emphasized the extraordinary odds of the meteorite landing on dry land as opposed to the ocean, given that approximately 70% of the Earth is covered in water.
The destination of this remarkable meteorite post-sale remains undisclosed, as the details of the sale will not be made public. The total price, including taxes and fees, reached approximately $5.3 million. In addition to the Martian meteorite sale, the auction featured over 100 items, including a Ceratosaurus skeleton from the late Jurassic period that sold for $26 million and a Pachycephalosaurus skull that went for $1.4 million.
Sotheby's, which hosted the auction, characterized this reddish-brown rock as "unbelievably rare," citing that only about 400 Martian meteorites have ever been located on Earth. Cassandra Hatton, the auction house's vice-chairman of science and natural history, emphasized the extraordinary odds of the meteorite landing on dry land as opposed to the ocean, given that approximately 70% of the Earth is covered in water.
The destination of this remarkable meteorite post-sale remains undisclosed, as the details of the sale will not be made public. The total price, including taxes and fees, reached approximately $5.3 million. In addition to the Martian meteorite sale, the auction featured over 100 items, including a Ceratosaurus skeleton from the late Jurassic period that sold for $26 million and a Pachycephalosaurus skull that went for $1.4 million.
