A 54-pound piece of Mars (thinking the largest Martian meteorite found on Earth) will be attacked in Sotheby’s New York on July 16, with an estimated $2 million to $4 million.
The rock, known as NWA 16788, was discovered in the Agades region of Niger in November 2023, accounting for a staggering 6.5% of all known Martian materials on Earth. It is also 70% larger than the next Mars on our planet. Sotheby’s counted it to the most valuable meteorite at the auction.
According to Cassandra Hatton, Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s Science and Natural History, “NWA 16788 is a discovery of extraordinary significance”, “a discovery once a lifetime”, which brings us to “a celestial neighbor who has long captured the human imagination.”
The specimen exploded from Mars with an ancient asteroid impact and was probably blown up by torpedoes, characterized by visible areas of the “glass-like fusion shell”, demonstrating its scorching decline in the atmosphere. according to Smithsonian Magazine, Its mineral structure shows that part of it is converted into Maskelynite, a glass formed under extreme pressure and heat.
Sotheby’s said meteorites are rarer than diamonds, and Martian meteorites are very rare – only about 400 were found, most of them consisting of small pieces. Sotheby’s also pointed out that on average, only 15 meteorites are found in North America each year.
The meteorite will be available at Sotheby’s Fair in Sotheby’s before the live auction on July 8-15.
