仅事实
最大火星陨石在拍卖中售出 缅因州博物馆错失良机
摘要
一块重达54磅的火星陨石NWA 16788，近日在苏富比拍卖行以530万美元成交，超过了缅因州矿物与宝石博物馆此前拥有的纪录。该博物馆曾几乎购得此陨石，但因交易失败未能如愿。
本月早些时候，一块重达54磅的火星陨石NWA 16788在纽约苏富比拍卖行以530万美元的价格卖给了一位匿名买家。这块陨石于2023年在尼日尔被发现，如今被认定为地球上已知最大的火星陨石，超过了此前纪录保持者——重32磅、收藏于缅因州贝塞尔的缅因矿物与宝石博物馆的Taoudenni 002。
陨石经销商兼缅因州博物馆顾问达里尔·皮特表示，他最初在2023年10月以不到50万美元的价格达成了购买NWA 16788的协议。然而，在被要求向另一位经销商付款并面临价格突然上涨后，皮特拒绝继续交易。随后他被告知该陨石已卖给了另一位买家。皮特回忆道：“我让愤怒蒙蔽了视线，拒绝支付现在被要求的额外费用。后来我得知他的合伙人买断了他的权益，并将陨石卖给了一位中国买家。就这样。”
缅因州博物馆拥有丰富的陨石收藏，现已更新展览，表明Taoudenni 002现为地球上第二大火星陨石。尽管失去了这块陨石，皮特指出该博物馆仍拥有最大的火星陨石收藏和比NASA及其他自然历史博物馆加起来还多的月球样本。他还强调，大小并非唯一的价值衡量标准，博物馆即将收购一块体积较小但科学意义重大的火星陨石。
火星陨石极为罕见，全球已鉴定的不足400块，大多数发现于北非。这些陨石通过与火星探测车测量的氧同位素进行比对来验证真伪。此类陨石的交易通常涉及复杂的经销商和收藏家网络。
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事实核查
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A 54-pound Martian meteorite, designated NWA 16788, was sold at Sotheby’s in New York earlier this month for $5.3 million to an undisclosed buyer.
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The rock, discovered in Niger in 2023, is now recognized as the largest known piece of Mars on Earth, overtaking the previous record-holder, Taoudenni 002, a 32-pound specimen housed at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel.
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Darryl Pitt, a meteorite dealer and consultant for the Maine museum, said he initially secured a deal to purchase NWA 16788 in October 2023 for just under $500,000.
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The Maine museum, which boasts an extensive collection of meteorites, has updated its displays to reflect that Taoudenni 002 is now the second largest Martian meteorite on Earth.
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Despite the loss, Pitt noted that the museum still holds the largest collection of Martian meteorites and more lunar material than NASA and other natural history museums combined.
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Martian meteorites are rare, with fewer than 400 identified globally, most of which are found in North Africa.
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These rocks are authenticated by comparing their oxygen isotopes to those measured by Mars rovers.
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