Largest Martian rock on Earth heads to auction—could fetch ~$4M
What's the story
The largest piece of Mars ever discovered on Earth is going under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York. The 25kg meteorite, known as NWA 16788, is expected to fetch between $2 million and $4 million, according to Associated Press. Part of Sotheby's annual Geek Week 2025 series, the meteorite isn't just notable for its size but also for being the biggest known piece of Mars ever found on our planet.
Meteorite details
Largest piece of Mars on Earth ever found
Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's vice chairman for science and natural history, said this Martian meteorite is "the largest piece of Mars we have ever found by a long shot." It is more than double the size of what was previously thought to be the largest piece of Mars. The rock likely came from a huge asteroid impact that blasted it off Mars's surface and traveled 225 million kilometers through space before landing in the Sahara Desert.
Journey details
Nearly 7% of all confirmed Martian material on Earth
The meteorite hunter who found the rock in Niger in November 2023 described it as red, brown, and gray. The specimen is 70% bigger than the next largest Martian sample found on Earth and makes up nearly 7% of all confirmed Martian material on our planet. Of over 77,000 officially recognized meteorites discovered around the world, only 400 are from Mars.
Origin confirmation
How it was confirmed to be from Mars
To confirm its Martian origin, a piece of the rock was taken and tested in a lab. Scientists compared its chemical composition with known Martian meteorites, first identified by data from NASA's Viking lander mission in 1976. The sample was classified as an olivine-microgabbroic shergottite, a rock formed by the slow cooling of Martian magma and containing pyroxene and olivine minerals.
Exterior details
Glassy outer surface indicates extreme heat during atmospheric entry
The meteorite's glassy outer surface indicates the extreme heat it experienced while entering Earth's atmosphere. Previously displayed at the Italian Space Agency in Rome, its current owner remains unknown. Sotheby's noted that while the exact timing of its fall to Earth is unclear, recent testing suggests it was a relatively recent event.
Auction details
Meteorite to be auctioned alongside dinosaur skeleton
The Martian rock will be auctioned with a juvenile Ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton, which is over 6-feet tall and nearly 11-feet long. Discovered in 1996 near Laramie, Wyoming, the skeleton was reconstructed from nearly 140 original bones and sculpted parts. Dating back around 150 million years to the late Jurassic period, its auction estimate ranges from $4 million to $6 million.