Largest Martian Meteorite on Earth to Be Auctioned in New York

A 54-pound Martian meteorite, believed to be the largest piece of Mars ever discovered on Earth, is set to be auctioned by Sotheby's in New York on July 16. The specimen, designated NWA 16788, was found in Niger in November 2023 and is estimated to fetch between $2 million and $4 million. According to Sotheby's, the meteorite was ejected from Mars by an asteroid impact and traveled approximately 140 million miles before landing in the Sahara.

Cassandra Hatton, vice chairman for science and natural history at Sotheby's, described the find as "the largest piece of Mars we have ever found by a long shot," noting it is more than double the size of the previously largest known Martian meteorite. The rock measures nearly 15 inches by 11 inches by 6 inches and accounts for nearly 7% of all Martian material on Earth. Out of more than 77,000 officially recognized meteorites, only about 400 are confirmed to be from Mars, Sotheby's reports.

Scientific analysis confirmed the meteorite's Martian origin by comparing its chemical composition with samples collected by the Viking space probe in 1976. The rock is classified as an olivine-microgabbroic shergottite, a type of Martian rock formed from slowly cooled magma, and features a glassy surface attributed to its fiery descent through Earth's atmosphere. The meteorite was previously exhibited at the Italian Space Agency in Rome, and its exact arrival date on Earth remains uncertain, though tests suggest it landed in recent years.

The auction will also feature a juvenile Ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton, discovered in Wyoming in 1996 and estimated to sell for $4 million to $6 million. The skeleton, which dates back about 150 million years to the late Jurassic period, was assembled from nearly 140 fossil bones and additional sculpted materials. Sotheby's Geek Week 2025 auction includes 122 items, ranging from meteorites and fossils to gem-quality minerals.