A 54-pound Martian meteorite (NWA 16788) sold for $5.3 million at Sotheby’s New York in July 2025, setting a world auction record. It’s the largest piece of Mars ever sold and represents nearly 7% of all Martian material known on Earth
What Happened at the Auction?
A 24.5 kg (54‑lb) Martian meteorite named Northwest Africa 16788 (NWA 16788) sold for $5.3 million (including fees) at Sotheby’s New York during its Geek Week 2025 auction. The hammer price reached $4.3 million, exceeding the initial estimate of $2–4 million, and was followed by a fierce 15‑minute bidding war. The buyer remains anonymous The Indian Express
Why This Meteorite Is So Special
- Largest Known Martian Meteorite: At 24.67 kg, it is about 70% larger than the next biggest Martian specimen and represents nearly 7% of all known Martian meteorites on Earth
- Extremely Rare: Fewer than 400 Martian meteorites have been identified among over 77,000 classified meteorites
- Visual and Scientific Appeal: The reddish hue and glassy fusion crust signal its fiery passage through Earth’s atmosphere and volcanic origin on Mars’s surface; analysis matched its chemical composition to data from NASA’s 1976 Viking mission
- Extraordinary Journey: Ejected from Mars by an asteroid impact roughly 5 million years ago, it traveled over 140 million miles before landing in Niger’s Sahara Desert in November 2023
Broader Significance & Reactions
This auction underscores the growing public fascination with rare extraterrestrial artifacts. Sotheby’s called NWA 16788 a “geological time capsule from another world.” However, scientists like University of Edinburgh’s Steve Brusatte raised concerns that such meteorites might vanish into private collections, limiting public research access
✅ Conclusion
The sale of NWA 16788 for $5.3 million marks not only the highest price ever paid for a meteorite, but also a milestone in humanity’s connection to Mars. As the largest known fragment recovered from the Red Planet, this rock symbolizes both scientific intrigue and the allure of cosmic discovery.
