Largest chunk of Mars on Earth sells for $5.3 million
The “Largest Piece of Mars on Earth” just sold at auction for about $5.3 million— $5,296,000, to be exact. Popular Science has reached out to Sotheby’s for confirmation of the sale price. The 54-pound rock measures roughly 15 inches by 11 inches by 6 inches. It was part of a Sotheby’s natural history auction that also included a juvenile Ceratosaurus dinosaur skeleton and a lunar meteorite. The meteorite is believed to have been blown off the surface of Mars by an asteroid. The chunk of the Red Planet then travelled 140 million miles to Earth, crashing in the Sahara desert. It was discovered by a meteorite hunter in Niger in November 2023. However, it is not completely clear when the meteorite hit Earth. Testing shows that the strike probably happened in recent years, according to Sotheby’s. It previously was on exhibit at the Italian Space Agency in Rome. Sotheby’s did not disclose...