A giant piece of Mars could sell for $4 million
What else do you know about the Mars meteorite?
The chunk of Mars rock was first discovered back in November 2023 in the Agadez Region in Niger which is in West Africa. Pieces of Mars found on Earth are incredibly rare, making up just a tiny percentage of the approximately 77,000 officially recognised meteorites. NWA 16788 is about 70% bigger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth, with a weight of just under 25 kilograms. It's covered in Mars' distinct reddish-brown fusion colour, although around a fifth of the rock is made up of a glass called maskelynite.This material was produced from the huge impact from the asteroid which struck Mars' surface.
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Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Handbag-sized rock found on floor is actually worth £2.9 MILLION after experts say it's biggest chunk of Mars ever found
Officially named NWA-16788, the specimen was discovered by a meteorite hunter in November 2023 COLD HARD CASH Handbag-sized rock found on floor is actually worth £2.9 MILLION after experts say it's biggest chunk of Mars ever found Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE largest chunk of Mars ever found on Earth could sell for up to £2.9million ($4million) in a Sotheby's auction later this month. Believed to have crashed here as a meteorite, the Martian rock weighs in at 24.67 kilograms (54.39 pounds). Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Officially named NWA-16788, the specimen was discovered by a meteorite hunter in November 2023 Credit: Sotheby's 4 The Shanghai Astronomy Museum has confirmed the rock's Martian identity based on a small sample sent there Credit: Sotheby's That's about 70 per cent larger than the previous record-holder - the 14.51kg Taoudenni 002 meteorite found in Mali back in 2021. Of the more than 77,000 officially recognised meteorites on Earth, fewer than 400 originate from Mars. That makes the rock a particularly rare find. Officially named NWA-16788, the specimen was discovered by a meteorite hunter in November 2023. Somewhere in the sparsely populated Agadez region of Niger, an area better known for its dinosaur fossils than its meteorites, the unnamed explorer found the lump of rock. The Shanghai Astronomy Museum has confirmed the rock's Martian identity based on a small sample sent there. The meteorite "shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert," Sotheby's said in its listing. "In other words, NWA-16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently." Meteorites - a space rock that fails to burn up on entry through Earth's atmosphere - frequently fall to Earth. Although must are small and land unnoticed, often in the oceans. Mars Rock Samples- The Stories They Could Tell Scientists at Nasa It's thought the rock started its journey to our blue dot when an asteroid crashed into Mars and sent debris flying into space. However, some scientists question whether such a rare specimen should be up for sale. "It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch," paleontologist Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh told Jack Guy at CNN. "It belongs in a museum, where it can be studied, and where it can be enjoyed by children and families and the public at large." Planetary scientist Julia Cartwright, from the University of Leicester told CNN she hoped that the rock may still be used for science anyway. "The scientific interest will remain," she said. "The new owner may be very interested in learning from it, so we may still gather lots of science from this." Prior to landing at Sotheby's, the meteorite was show off to the public at an exhibition at the Italian Space Agency in Rome in 2024, and in a private gallery in Arezzo, Tuscany. The Sotheby's auction will begin on 16 July at 14:00 UTC. 4 It's thought the rock started its journey to our blue dot when an asteroid crashed into Mars and sent debris flying into space Credit: Sotheby's 4 Mars is pockmarked with asteroid impact craters Credit: Alamy
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Handbag-sized rock found on floor is actually worth £2.9 MILLION after experts say it's biggest chunk of Mars ever found
THE largest chunk of Mars ever found on Earth could sell for up to £2.9million ($4million) in a Sotheby's auction later this month. Believed to have crashed here as a meteorite, the Martian rock weighs in at 24.67 kilograms (54.39 pounds). 4 That's about 70 per cent larger than the previous record-holder - the 14.51kg Taoudenni 002 meteorite found in Mali back in 2021. Of the more than 77,000 officially recognised meteorites on Earth, fewer than 400 originate from Mars. That makes the rock a particularly rare find. Officially named NWA-16788, the specimen was discovered by a meteorite hunter in November 2023. Somewhere in the sparsely populated Agadez region of Niger, an area better known for its dinosaur fossils than its meteorites, the unnamed explorer found the lump of rock. The Shanghai Astronomy Museum has confirmed the rock's Martian identity based on a small sample sent there. The meteorite "shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert," Sotheby's said in its listing. "In other words, NWA-16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently." Meteorites - a space rock that fails to burn up on entry through Earth's atmosphere - frequently fall to Earth. Although must are small and land unnoticed, often in the oceans. Mars Rock Samples- The Stories They Could Tell Scientists at Nasa It's thought the rock started its journey to our blue dot when an asteroid crashed into Mars and sent debris flying into space. However, some scientists question whether such a rare specimen should be up for sale. "It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch," paleontologist Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh told Jack Guy at CNN. "It belongs in a museum, where it can be studied, and where it can be enjoyed by children and families and the public at large." Planetary scientist Julia Cartwright, from the University of Leicester told CNN she hoped that the rock may still be used for science anyway. "The scientific interest will remain," she said. "The new owner may be very interested in learning from it, so we may still gather lots of science from this." Prior to landing at Sotheby's, the meteorite was show off to the public at an exhibition at the Italian Space Agency in Rome in 2024, and in a private gallery in Arezzo, Tuscany. The Sotheby's auction will begin on 16 July at 14:00 UTC. 4 4 Mars facts Here's what you need to know about the red planet... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun It is named after the Roman god of war The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth but due to the difference in gravity you could jump three times higher there than you can here Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest Mars is considered to be the second most habitable planet after Earth It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun The planet has a diameter of 4,212 miles, and has an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles Martian temperatures can vary wildly, reaching as high as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
A giant piece of Mars could sell for $4 million
A giant chunk of the planet Mars could sell for up to an eye-watering $4 million at auction later this month, making it the most valuable meteorite ever sold. The piece of the Red Planet, called NWA 16788, is one of only 400 recognised Martian meteorites on believed to have broken off Mars after a massive asteroid strike, travelling 140 million miles through space before landing in the Sahara desert. The massive block of rock is set to be sold on the 16th July by the auction house Sotheby's in New expected to fetch between $2 million and $4 million. What else do you know about the Mars meteorite? The chunk of Mars rock was first discovered back in November 2023 in the Agadez Region in Niger which is in West Africa. Pieces of Mars found on Earth are incredibly rare, making up just a tiny percentage of the approximately 77,000 officially recognised meteorites. NWA 16788 is about 70% bigger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth, with a weight of just under 25 kilograms. It's covered in Mars' distinct reddish-brown fusion colour, although around a fifth of the rock is made up of a glass called material was produced from the huge impact from the asteroid which struck Mars' surface.
