A piece of rock believed to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth has sold for $5.3 million at a geological and archaeological auction in New York on Wednesday.
The Martian meteorite, which represents nearly 7% of all Martian material on Earth is called NWA 16788 and weighs 25 kilograms. It is also 70% larger than the second-largest Martian fragment found on Earth.
While the final bid for the meteorite was $4.3 million, the total price, including fees, reached $5.3 million, the auction house Sotheby’s said, adding that the buyer’s identity was not immediately disclosed.
Described by the auction house as an “unbelievably rare” reddish-brown rock, the meteorite is one of only about 400 Martian meteorites ever discovered on Earth.
According to Sotheby's it was ejected from the martian surface by a massive asteroid strike and then journeyed some 225 million kilometres (140 million miles) through space towards Earth's atmosphere. It then crashed in the Sahara desert.
It was then discovered in Niger’s remote Agadez Region in November 2023 by a meterorite hunter.
Information from the sale remains private so it's unclear where the rock will end up next.
At least 132 people have died and 570 have been injured after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, the Colombian Association ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran see...
Türkiye’s parliament on Monday approved a key piece of legislation underpinning the government’s effort to end decades of conflict with the Kurdi...
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
One hundred years after the First World War and more than eighty years after the devastation of the Second World War gave rise to the United Nations, humanity once again finds itself living in an age of permanent crisis.
For months, efforts to secure the Red Sea have focused on what is happening in the water. Naval deployments have increased, governments have expanded maritime cooperation and shipping companies have adapted to persistent security threats.
Greenland has issued a “strong warning” to a U.S. oil company linked to President Donald Trump after drilling equipment was brought ashore without the required government approvals, according to British media.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has surpassed $1.1 billion at the global box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of the director’s career.
Several Taylor Swift songs have disappeared from social media videos posted by U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign and the White House, after the best-selling pop star's music featured in two separate clips over the past week.
Ariana Grande says she will step back from public-facing work after her Eternal Sunshine Tour ends next month, marking a temporary pause in one of pop culture's most visible and closely scrutinised careers.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has grossed $927 million worldwide during its opening weekend, delivering the second-biggest global and domestic box office debut of all time behind Avengers: Endgame.
Tens of thousands of dancers filled the streets of La Paz on Saturday for Bolivia's annual Gran Poder festival, one of the country's largest cultural celebrations, after the event was postponed twice due to social unrest and road blockades.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment