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Russia Today
19-07-2025
- Science
- Russia Today
Largest Martian meteorite breaks auction record
The largest Martian meteorite ever sold fetched a record-breaking $5.3 million at an auction in the United States, according to a statement published by Sotheby's on Wednesday. Weighing 24.67 kilograms, the rock called Northwest Africa 16788 (NWA 16788) is a fragment that broke off the surface of Mars after an asteroid impact. It was discovered by a meteorite hunter in the Sahara Desert in the country of Niger in November 2023. 'NWA 16788 is covered in a reddish-brown fusion crust, giving it an unmistakable Martian hue,' Sotheby's explained. 'Regmaglypts, or surface depressions formed by frictional heating during rapid descent through Earth's atmosphere, are also visible on the surface of the meteorite.' According to Sotheby's experts, NWA 16788 is approximately 70% larger than any other known Martian meteorite ever recovered on Earth. 'Pieces of Mars are unbelievably rare: of the more than 77,000 officially recognized meteorites, only 400 are Martian meteorites,' the lot description states. As quoted by CNN, Cassandra Hatton, the vice chairman of science and natural history at Sotheby's, stated that 'weathered by its journey through space and time, its immense size and unmistakable red color sets it apart as a once-in-a-generation find.' 'This remarkable meteorite provides a tangible connection to the red planet — our celestial neighbor that has long captured the human imagination,' she added. The rock was put up for sale on Sunday, with bidding closing on Wednesday in New York. Before that, it had been part of a private gallery collection in Arezzo, Italy, and was briefly exhibited at the Italian Space Agency in Rome in 2024. Sotheby's did not disclose the identity of the buyer or previous owner. The largest piece of Mars on Earth is now the most valuable meteorite ever sold at auction after it achieved $5.3 million in the Natural History sale during Sotheby's Geek Week. #AuctionUpdate The auction continues LIVE from #SothebysNewYork: All meteorites discovered in the northwestern region of the African continent are designated with the prefix 'NWA' (short for Northwest Africa) followed by a unique identification number. Another notable Martian meteorite, NWA 7034 — nicknamed 'Black Beauty' — was discovered in 2011 in Morocco. Weighing around 320 grams, it contains a significantly higher water content than other Martian samples, with some components dating back over 4.4 billion years.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Martian meteorite sells for record $5.3 million at Sotheby's
Martian meteorite sells for record $5.3 million at Sotheby's By Roselle Chen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A 54-pound (24.5-kg) Martian meteorite that is the largest known piece of Mars found on Earth has sold for $5.3 million at Sotheby's, setting a new auction record for a meteorite. The auction on Wednesday for the rock known as NWA 16788 sparked a 15-minute bidding war between online and phone bidders. "This is an amazing Martian meteorite that broke off of the Martian surface," said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's vice-chairman and global head of science and natural history, ahead of the auction. The fragment was discovered in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter in the Sahara Desert, in Niger's remote Agadez region. "The people there knew already that it was something special," said Hatton. "It wasn't until it got to the lab and pieces were tested that we realized, 'Oh my gosh, it's Martian.' And then when those results came back and we compared and saw, OK, it's not just Martian, it is the biggest piece of Mars on the planet." About 5 million years ago, an asteroid or comet slammed into Mars so hard that rocks and other debris launched into space. "So it comes hurtling... 140 million miles through space, makes it through Earth's atmosphere," said Hatton, noting that most things burn up in our planet's atmosphere. "It's incredible that it made it through and then that it crashed in the middle of the desert instead of the middle of the ocean, in a place where we could find it, and that somebody who could recognize what it was found it. "So there's a whole kind of process or a layer of things that have to happen in order for this to become reality and be here in front of us." Just like its mother planet, NWA 16788 has a distinctly reddish hue, as well as signs of fusion crust from its violent descent through Earth's atmosphere. There are about 400 officially recognized Martian meteorites on Earth, of which NWA 16788 is by far the largest. Solve the daily Crossword
