A Rare Rock from Another Planet Is Up for Auction — and It's Expected to Sell for This Many Millions
The meteorite, known as NWA 16788, weighs about 54 lbs. and is approximately 15 inches at its widest point
There are only about 400 Martian rocks on Earth at this timeThe largest piece of Mars rock on Earth is scheduled to go up for auction — and it may sell for as much as $4 million.
Martian Meteorite NWA 16788 is set to be auctioned by Sotheby's on July 16, per a release on the famous auction house's website.
The meteorite weighs about 54 lbs. and is approximately 15 inches across at its widest section, per the release. The house also stated that the 'incredibly rare discovery' was ejected from the surface of Mars after a 'massive asteroid strike' and eventually landed 140 million miles away in the Sahara Desert.
The rock was discovered on Nov. 16, 2023, by a meteorite hunter in a remote part of Niger in West Africa. It is about 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars rock on Earth, per Sotheby's.
Sotheby's also stated that there are only about 400 known Mars rocks on Earth, which makes up less than 1% of all known space rocks on our planet.
'NWA 16788 shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert,' read the release. 'In other words, NWA 16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently.'
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland's University of Edinburgh, told CNN that the fact that the Mars rock is being sold — as opposed to donated to science — isn't necessarily a good thing.
'It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch. 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,' Brusatte said to the outlet.
However, other experts said private collecting of such objects can actually benefit scientific research overall.
'Ultimately, if there was no market for searching, collecting and selling meteorites, we would not have anywhere near as many in our collections — and this drives the science!' Julia Cartwright, a planetary scientist and Independent Research Fellow at the University of Leicester, told CNN.
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
'If samples weren't being found, we would not have anywhere near as much to study, and so wouldn't know as much as we do,' she added.
A meteorite specifically describes a piece of rock that has survived a 'trip' through Earth's atmosphere and has landed intact on the surface of the Earth, per NASA.
They differ from meteoroids, which are defined as rocks still in space, as well as meteors, which describe rocks that enter the atmosphere at a high speed and burn up on arrival — sometimes creating what are known as 'shooting stars.'
Read the original article on People
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Rare Rock from Another Planet Is Up for Auction — and It's Expected to Sell for This Many Millions
The largest rock from Mars ever found on Earth is going up for auction at Sotheby's on July 16 The meteorite, known as NWA 16788, weighs about 54 lbs. and is approximately 15 inches at its widest point There are only about 400 Martian rocks on Earth at this timeThe largest piece of Mars rock on Earth is scheduled to go up for auction — and it may sell for as much as $4 million. Martian Meteorite NWA 16788 is set to be auctioned by Sotheby's on July 16, per a release on the famous auction house's website. The meteorite weighs about 54 lbs. and is approximately 15 inches across at its widest section, per the release. The house also stated that the 'incredibly rare discovery' was ejected from the surface of Mars after a 'massive asteroid strike' and eventually landed 140 million miles away in the Sahara Desert. The rock was discovered on Nov. 16, 2023, by a meteorite hunter in a remote part of Niger in West Africa. It is about 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars rock on Earth, per Sotheby's. Sotheby's also stated that there are only about 400 known Mars rocks on Earth, which makes up less than 1% of all known space rocks on our planet. 'NWA 16788 shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert,' read the release. 'In other words, NWA 16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently.' The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland's University of Edinburgh, told CNN that the fact that the Mars rock is being sold — as opposed to donated to science — isn't necessarily a good thing. 'It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch. 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,' Brusatte said to the outlet. However, other experts said private collecting of such objects can actually benefit scientific research overall. 'Ultimately, if there was no market for searching, collecting and selling meteorites, we would not have anywhere near as many in our collections — and this drives the science!' Julia Cartwright, a planetary scientist and Independent Research Fellow at the University of Leicester, told CNN. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'If samples weren't being found, we would not have anywhere near as much to study, and so wouldn't know as much as we do,' she added. A meteorite specifically describes a piece of rock that has survived a 'trip' through Earth's atmosphere and has landed intact on the surface of the Earth, per NASA. They differ from meteoroids, which are defined as rocks still in space, as well as meteors, which describe rocks that enter the atmosphere at a high speed and burn up on arrival — sometimes creating what are known as 'shooting stars.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Rare Rock from Another Planet Is Up for Auction — and It's Expected to Sell for This Many Millions
The largest rock from Mars ever found on Earth is going up for auction at Sotheby's on July 16 The meteorite, known as NWA 16788, weighs about 54 lbs. and is approximately 15 inches at its widest point There are only about 400 Martian rocks on Earth at this timeThe largest piece of Mars rock on Earth is scheduled to go up for auction — and it may sell for as much as $4 million. Martian Meteorite NWA 16788 is set to be auctioned by Sotheby's on July 16, per a release on the famous auction house's website. The meteorite weighs about 54 lbs. and is approximately 15 inches across at its widest section, per the release. The house also stated that the 'incredibly rare discovery' was ejected from the surface of Mars after a 'massive asteroid strike' and eventually landed 140 million miles away in the Sahara Desert. The rock was discovered on Nov. 16, 2023, by a meteorite hunter in a remote part of Niger in West Africa. It is about 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars rock on Earth, per Sotheby's. Sotheby's also stated that there are only about 400 known Mars rocks on Earth, which makes up less than 1% of all known space rocks on our planet. 'NWA 16788 shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert,' read the release. 'In other words, NWA 16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently.' The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland's University of Edinburgh, told CNN that the fact that the Mars rock is being sold — as opposed to donated to science — isn't necessarily a good thing. 'It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch. 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,' Brusatte said to the outlet. However, other experts said private collecting of such objects can actually benefit scientific research overall. 'Ultimately, if there was no market for searching, collecting and selling meteorites, we would not have anywhere near as many in our collections — and this drives the science!' Julia Cartwright, a planetary scientist and Independent Research Fellow at the University of Leicester, told CNN. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'If samples weren't being found, we would not have anywhere near as much to study, and so wouldn't know as much as we do,' she added. A meteorite specifically describes a piece of rock that has survived a 'trip' through Earth's atmosphere and has landed intact on the surface of the Earth, per NASA. They differ from meteoroids, which are defined as rocks still in space, as well as meteors, which describe rocks that enter the atmosphere at a high speed and burn up on arrival — sometimes creating what are known as 'shooting stars.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Largest Mars Rock on Earth Could Sell For US$4 Million
The most massive chunk of Mars ever found on Earth could sell for up to US$4 million in a Sotheby's auction later this month. Believed to be the largest individual Martian rock recovered so far, the meteorite (officially named NWA-16788) weighs in at 24.67 kilograms (54.39 pounds). That's about 70 percent larger than the previous record-holder, Taoudenni 002, a meteorite found in Mali back in 2021 that weighed 14.51 kg. A meteorite hunter came across NWA-16788 in November 2023, in the sparsely populated Agadez region of Niger, which is far better known for its dinosaur fossils than its meteorites. The Shanghai Astronomy Museum confirmed the rock's Martian identity based on a small sample sent there, and now this interplanetary treasure has a price tag, too. Related: 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," the Sotheby's listing explains. "In other words, NWA-16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently." Based on the high percentage of a glass called maskelynite, and a few shock-melted areas, we know that this rock was probably sent flying when a severe asteroid crashed into its home planet. The Sotheby's listing states the meteorite was "formed from the slow cooling of Martian magma and [is] characterized by a coarse-grained texture composed primarily of pyroxene, maskelynite, and olivine." 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." But planetary scientist Julia Cartwright from the University of Leicester gave CNN a different opinion: "The scientific interest will remain, and the new owner may be very interested in learning from it, so we may still gather lots of science from this." The Sotheby's auction will begin on July 16 at 14:00 UTC. Here's How to Watch Mercury Photobomb Your 4th of July Fireworks It's Official: NASA Confirms New Interstellar Object Is Zooming Through Solar System Space Cargo of Human Remains And Cannabis Lost at Sea Following Mission Failure
