03-07-2025
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.
