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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
CNA
17-07-2025
- Science
- CNA
Martian meteorite sells for record $5.3 million at Sotheby's
NEW YORK :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.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Largest Martian meteorite sells for a whopping $5.3M at auction: ‘Geological time capsule from another world'
This record-breaking rock had losing bidders seeing red. At one of Sotheby's Geek Week events, hosted at NYC's own American Museum of Natural History, this Martian meteorite smashed through bidding expectations, which were between $2M to $4M. This meteorite, affectionately dubbed NWA 16788, isn't just any space rock, though. At a stunning $5.3 million, not only did it fetch the highest price of any meteorite ever, it's also the largest, most scientifically significant piece of Mars that we Earthlings have access to. At 54 pounds, the meteorite is approximately the size of two basketballs. 'NWA 16788 is a geological time capsule from another world,' Sotheby's representatives wrote. 'With fewer than 400 Martian meteorites ever recorded, and most no larger than a pebble, this specimen offers the biggest tangible connection to a planet that has captivated humanity for centuries.' The space rock was discovered in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter — yes, that's a real job — in the middle of the Nigerian Sahara desert. Unsurprisingly, the meteorite from the Red planet is, in fact, red. According to Sotheby's analysts, who have examined it up close and personal, it's a deep, rusty shade with a glassy crust. '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,' Sotheby's explained in the release. 'In other words, NWA 16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently.' Before it was sold, the meteorite was publicly exhibited at the Italian Space Agency in Rome and in a private gallery in Tuscany. Though the buyer, who was not publicly identified, certainly paid a pretty penny for the rights to the rock, some scientists have reservations about the whole affair — particularly because of the possibilities for new research the meteorite presents. '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,' Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at the University of Edinburgh, told CNN. A mere chunk of mineral it may be, but this meteorite is far from lonely in its exorbitant price. In 2020, a 4½-pound meteorite crashed through an Indonesian man's roof. According to experts, the rare rock was over 4.5 billion years old and was worth almost $2M. In the end, this meteorite was also purchased by a private meteorite collector. However, meteorites typically land in oceans, deserts, forests and other uninhabited areas, much like NWA 16788. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Largest known Martian meteorite on Earth sells for $5.3 million at auction
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The largest known Martian meteorite has just been sold at auction for $5.29 million, selling well over the asking price of $2 million to $4 million. The hefty chunk of the Red Planet could help us learn more about our cosmic neighbor — if it's allowed to be properly studied. The meteorite, dubbed Northwest Africa (NWA) 16788, is around twice the size of a basketball and weighs 54 pounds (24.5 kilograms), making it "the largest known piece of Mars ever found on Earth," according to Sotheby's — the auction house responsible for selling the space rock. It is around 70% larger than the previous largest known Martian meteorite, and is described as having a "deep red hue" and a "glassy crust," according to Sotheby's. An anonymous meteorite hunter recovered NWA 16788 from part of the Sahara desert in Niger in November 2023. The space rock was known to scientists before now but has not been studied in detail, meaning it is currently unclear how old the space rock is, according to a 2024 study. "NWA 16788 is a geological time capsule from another world," Sotheby's representatives wrote. "With fewer than 400 Martian meteorites ever recorded, and most no larger than a pebble, this specimen offers the biggest tangible connection to a planet that has captivated humanity for centuries." Related: 32 things on Mars that look like they shouldn't be there The meteorite was sold at a natural history-themed auction held at Sotheby's New York auction house on Wednesday (July 16), along with more than 100 other lots, which included dinosaur fossils, megalodon teeth, Neanderthal tools, rare minerals, a piece of "fossilized lightning" and several other meteorites. Sold at the same auction was the mounted skeleton of a juvenile ceratosaurus, a theropod dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic period. The skeleton sold for $30.5 million, making it the third most-expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction. The most expensive fossil ever sold was a stegosaurus skeleton named "Apex," which sold for $44.6 million in July 2024. What can we learn from Martian meteorites? Martian meteorites are chunks of the Red Planet that were ejected into space as asteroids and comets smashed into the alien world. Most of these fragments have likely drifted in space for millions, if not billions, of years before eventually falling to Earth. While several Mars rovers have examined rocks on the Red Planet, these robots haven't returned any to Earth so far, and this is unlikely to change due to NASA's recent cancellation of the Mars Sample Return mission, meaning meteorites like NWA 16788 are currently the only way of directly studying Mars' origins on Earth. (A planned Chinese mission could bring Mars samples back to Earth no sooner than 2031.) Martian meteorites on Earth have already led to multiple discoveries: For example, in 2023, researchers discovered a "huge diversity" of organic compounds hiding in a rock that was recovered from Morocco; and in 2024, experts uncovered evidence of ancient water on Mars in a rediscovered meteorite found in a university collection. RELATED STORIES —Single enormous object left 2 billion craters on Mars, scientists discover —A Martian meteorite is going home, in NASA's Perseverance mission launch —Massive Martian meteor impact was largest ever recorded in solar system Researchers have also traced back the likely origins of more than 200 Martian meteorites and found that they can be linked to just five different impact sites on Mars, hinting that the space rocks can be used to study specific Mars locations. Whether or not researchers can learn more about the Red Planet from NWA 16788 depends on whether its new owner allows it to be studied by scientists. Solve the daily Crossword
