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| A Martian meteorite, weighing 54.388 lbs. (24.67 kg), said to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth, estimated at $2 - 4 million, is displayed at Sotheby's, in New York, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, part of their Geek Week auction, July 16, 2025. (Photo: yahoo.com) |
A colossal meteorite, believed to be the largest fragment of Mars ever found on Earth, is set to be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York. This extraordinary specimen, officially named NWA 16788, weighs a remarkable 54 pounds (25 kilograms) and is expected to fetch between $2 million and $4 million, potentially making it the most valuable meteorite ever offered at auction.
Discovered in November 2023 in the remote Agadez region of the Sahara Desert in Nishair, the meteorite exhibits a distinctive red hue and a glassy fusion crust. These features suggest it was violently ejected from the Martian surface by a powerful asteroid impact, an event so intense it transformed some of the meteorite's minerals into glass.
NWA 16788 is classified as an olivine-microgabbroic shergottite, a type of rock formed by the slow cooling of Martian magma. Its coarse texture and composition of pyroxene and olivine minerals offer rare insights into the geological processes that shaped Mars billions of years ago.
The auction, part of Sotheby's "Geek Week 2025," will feature 122 items, including other meteorites, fossils, and rare minerals. This "once-in-a-generation" find highlights the rarity of Martian meteorites; out of roughly 77,000 officially recognized meteorites on Earth, only about 400 are confirmed to be of Martian origin. The NWA 16788 specimen is expected to go under the hammer on July 16th.
For more details on this remarkable Martian meteorite, you can refer to the following sources:
The Largest Piece Of Mars Ever Found On Earth Is Being Auctioned For Millions This Month The biggest piece of Mars ever found on Earth is about to hit the auction block The biggest piece of Mars on Earth is going up for auction in New York - The Tri-City Record The biggest piece of Mars on Earth is going up for auction in New York - Arab News The biggest piece of Mars on earth is up for auction | The Nightly A 54-Pound Martian Meteorite Just Landed at Sotheby's — But How Did It Get Here?
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