The largest stone from Mars ever found on Earth sold for $4.3 million

An “exceptionally rare” fragment of Mars – the largest ever found on Earth – was auctioned off for $4.3 million on Wednesday in New York.

The meteorite, dubbed NWA 16788, weighs in at 24.5 kilograms and measures nearly 38.1 centimeters in length, according to the auction house, Sotheby’s.

The meteorite was discovered in a remote area of Niger in November 2023 and is a whopping 70 percent larger than any other Martian specimen found to date, Sotheby’s reported.

Meteorites are fragments of rock that have survived the journey of asteroids or comets through Earth’s atmosphere.

Sotheby’s described the meteorite – a reddish-brown rock – as “exceptionally rare”, highlighting that only around 400 meteorites of Martian origin have been discovered on Earth.

“This is the largest piece of Mars on Earth. The odds of it making its way from there to here are astronomically low,” said Cassandra Hatton, Vice President of Science and Natural History at Sotheby’s, in an online video.

“Bear in mind that about 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. So we’re incredibly fortunate that this landed on land and not in the middle of the ocean, allowing us to locate it,” she added.

The final destination of the meteorite remains a mystery, as the details of the transaction will be kept private.

Sotheby’s stated that after taxes and fees, the total cost of the meteorite came to approximately $5.3 million.

The auction on Wednesday featured more than 100 items.

Among the items auctioned was a Keratosaurus skeleton from the late Jurassic period, which fetched a staggering $26 million. Not to be outdone, a Pachycephalosaurus skull was sold for a hefty $1.4 million.

Information sourced from the BBC

.