World's Largest Mars Rock Ever Found Could Sell For $4 Million At Sotheby's

A massive Martian meteorite, believed to be the largest ever discovered on Earth, is set to go under the hammer at a Sotheby's auction later this month. The rock, officially named NWA-16788, weighs an impressive 24.67 kilograms (54.39 pounds), making it approximately 70% larger than the previous record-holder, Taoudenni 002, which was found in Mali in 2021 and weighed 14.51 kg.

The rare meteorite was discovered in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter in the Agadez region of Niger, an area typically known for dinosaur fossils rather than space rocks. A sample of the meteorite was sent to the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, which confirmed its Martian origin.

Experts now estimate that this one-of-a-kind specimen could sell for up to US$4 million, attracting interest from collectors and scientific institutions alike. The sale offers a unique opportunity to own a piece of Mars without leaving Earth. 

"NWA 16788 is covered in a reddish-brown fusion crust, giving it an unmistakable Martian hue. 'Regmaglypts', or surface depressions formed by frictional heating during rapid descent through Earth's atmosphere, are also visible on the surface of the meteorite,' the Sotheby's listing explains. "NWA 16788 shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert. In other words, NWA 16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently." 

The meteorite will go under the hammer at Sotheby's New York on July 16.

For some, the fact that the meteorite is being sold rather than donated to science is cause for concern.

"It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch. It belongs in a museum, where it can be studied, and where it can be enjoyed by children and families and the public at large," Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland's University of Edinburgh, told CNN on Wednesday.

But for Julia Cartwright, a planetary scientist and Independent Research Fellow in the Institute for Space/School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Leicester, England, there is a balance to be struck.

"Ultimately, if there was no market for searching, collecting and selling meteorites, we would not have anywhere near as many in our collections - and this drives the science!" she told CNN on Wednesday, describing a "symbiotic relationship" between researchers and collectors.