Rare Mars Rock Sells for USD5.3 Million at Auction

2025-07-17 05:00:24

(MENAFN) A significant Martian meteorite was sold for $5.3 million at a geological and archaeological auction in New York on Wednesday.

The meteorite, named NWA 16788, weighs 25 kilograms (54 pounds) and was unearthed in Niger’s Sahara Desert in November 2023.

It had been launched from Mars due to a powerful asteroid strike and journeyed across 225 million kilometers to reach Earth.

Meteorites are fragments of comets, asteroids, or meteoroids that survive their passage through Earth's atmosphere and land on its surface.

Though the final bid for the Martian rock was $4.3 million, the overall amount, including additional fees, reached $5.3 million.

The identity of the buyer remains undisclosed, as reported by the auction house Sotheby’s.

The meteorite, described by Sotheby’s as an "unbelievably rare" reddish-brown stone, is one of only around 400 known Martian meteorites ever found on Earth.

This specimen is also 70% larger than the second-largest Martian fragment discovered on the planet, representing nearly 7% of all Martian material present on Earth.

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