An “incredibly rare” piece of rock from Mars has sold for £3.2million after being discovered in the Sahara desert.
The 24.5kg meteorite is the largest piece of Mars on Earth.
The rock travelled 140million miles through space after a large asteroid strike on the Martian surface.
A meteorite hunter discovered the rock, known as NWA16788, in November 2023.
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The meteorite travelled 140million miles
Vice-chairman of science and natural history at Sotheby’s, Cassandra Hatton, said: “This is the largest piece of Mars on planet Earth.
“The odds of this getting from there to here are astronomically small. Remember that approximately 70 per cent of Earth’s surface is covered in water.
“So we’re incredibly lucky that this landed on dry land instead of the middle of the ocean, where we could actually find it.”
Sotheby’s sold the rock for £3.2million, with it being one of only about 400 Martian meteorites being found on Earth.
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According to the auction catalogue, NWA16788 is “covered in a reddish-brown fusion crust giving it an unmistakable Martian hue”.
Around a fifth of the meteorite is made up of makelynite, a glassy material which was created by the intense heat and pressure made when Mars was hit by an asteroid.
Sotheby’s said: “Given the severity of impact necessary to eject any material off the Martian surface and into space, researchers believe there are only approximately 19 craters large enough to be the potential origination points for Martian meteorites.”
A study of the surface has found little “terrestrial weathering”, suggesting the meteorite may have been on Earth for not very long.
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A lady takes a photo of the meteorite
Sotheby said: “In other words, NWA16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently.”
Details of the buyer have not been made public and it is unclear where the meteorite will now be located.
The rock was sold alongside other fossils, minerals, meteorites and other exhibits.
A Ceratosaurus skeleton from the late Jurassic period also sold for £19million.
