The largest meteorite from Mars, found on Earth, was sold at Sotheby’s auction in New York for 4.3 million dollars. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
This was reported by the BBC. This unique meteorite, which is an ancient celestial body, is named “NWA 16788.”
It weighs 24.5 kilograms and measures 38.1 centimeters in length. The meteorite was discovered in November 2023 in the desert region of Nigeria.
This stone is considered to be 70 percent larger than all other Mars meteorites found on Earth. Sotheby’s specialists assessed this meteorite as incredibly unique.
So far, the number of Mars meteorites identified on Earth is approximately 400. Therefore, “NWA 16788” is considered a discovery of significant scientific importance.
Kassandra Hatton, vice president of Sotheby’s science and natural history department, noted that this meteorite is the largest stone that has come from Mars. Its chances of reaching Earth were very low.
If the meteorite had fallen into water, it would have been difficult to find. After the auction, the price of the meteorite reached 5.3 million dollars with taxes and additional fees.
No information was disclosed about the buyer. At the same auction, a skeleton of a Ceratosaurus dinosaur from the Jurassic period was sold for 26 million dollars, and a skull of a Pachycephalosaurus was sold for 1.4 million dollars.
These events sparked great interest among those curious about science and history.
