Sotheby’s to Auction Giant Piece of Mars

The most massive fragment of Mars ever found on Earth is set to be auctioned by Sotheby’s on July 16 and could command a price of up to $4 million due to its extreme rarity and scientific significance.

The bidding for the Martian meteorite opened at $1.6 million, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

The rare specimen is believed to have traveled an astonishing 225 million kilometers before crashing into the Sahara Desert, where it was eventually discovered by a meteorite hunter in Niger in November 2023.

According to Sotheby’s, this particular meteorite is about 70 per cent larger than the next largest known piece of Martian rock ever recovered on Earth.

Martian meteorites are considered some of the rarest extraterrestrial materials known to science. Of the more than 77,000 officially classified meteorites found on Earth, only about 400 have been confirmed to originate from Mars. Collectively, these fragments weigh just 375 kilograms.

Weighing in at 24.67 kilograms, this meteorite alone accounts for 6.5 per cent of the total known Martian material on Earth-an extraordinary share, according to Sotheby’s experts.

The meteorite’s surface features natural indentations formed by extreme heat and friction as it entered Earth’s atmosphere-marks that offer further clues to its cosmic journey.

This Martian treasure is being offered as part of Sotheby’s Natural History sale, which also showcases other meteorites, precious minerals, and ancient fossils.