On Wednesday, the largest piece of Mars was sold at auction of rare geological and archaeological objects in New York for just over $ 5 million, and the minor dinosaur skeleton earned more than $ 30 million.
A £ 54 (25 kilograms) rock named NWA 16788, a meteorite hunter was discovered in the Sahara Desert in Niger. In November, after Mars’s surfaces were blown off from the surface of Mars, according to Sothy, 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) were driven to the ground, according to Sothy. The estimated sale price before the auction was between $ 2 to $ 4 million.
The buyer’s identity was not immediately revealed. The final offer was $ 4.3 million. USD. With the addition of various taxes and expenses, the official offer price was about $ 5.3 million. USD.
Two pre -1.9 million people were submitted. USD and $ 2 million USD offers. The direct proposal was slower than most other objects sold, and the auctioneer tried to get more offers and reduce the price of $ 200,000 to $ 300,000 to $ 100,000, after the offers reached $ 4 million.
The red, brown and gray meteorite is approximately 70% larger than the other largest piece of Mars found on Earth, and is almost 7% of all Martian materials currently on this planet, says Sotheby’s. It measures nearly 15 inches, 11 inches, 6 inches (375 millimeters and 279 millimeters and 152 millimeters).
It was also a rare find. Of the more than 77,000 officially recognized meteorites found on Earth, there are only 400 Mars meteorites, according to the auction palace.
“This meteorite of Mars is the biggest piece of Mars we have ever found in a distant frame,” said Cassandra Hatton in an interview before auction, Vice -President of Sotheby’s Science and Natural History. “So it is more than twice as much as what we used to think was the biggest piece of Mars.”
It is unclear when the meteorite was inflated from the surface of Mars, but tests have shown that this probably happened in recent years, says Sotheby’s.
Hatton said the specialized lab had inspected a small piece of the Red Planet and confirmed that it was from Mars. It was compared to a separate composition of Mars meteorites found through the Viking Space probe, which descended to Mars in 1976, she said.
The study found to be “Olivino-Mikrogabbbric Shergottite”, a kind of Mars rocks of this type formed by slow cooling of Mars magma. It has a course of grain texture, containing mineral piroxen and Olivin, says Sotheby’s.
It also has a glass surface, probably due to the high heat that burned it when it fell through the Earth’s atmosphere, Hatton said. “So it was their first understanding that it was not just some big rock on the ground,” she said.
Previously, the meteorite was exhibited at the Italian Space Agency in Rome. Sotheby’s did not reveal the owner.
The proposal of the minors’ Ceratosaurus nasicornis dinosaur skeleton began with a $ 6 million pre -bid, which increased by $ 500,000 higher than the last one and then $ 1 million. The official sale price was $ 30.5 million. USD with taxes and costs. The initial estimate was between $ 4 and $ 6 million.
The skeletal parts were found in 1996. Near Laramie, Wyoming, near the Bone salon quarry, gold mines for dinosaur bones. It is more than 6 feet (2 meters) tall and almost 11 feet (3 meters) length.
Specialists collected nearly 140 fossil bones with some cut materials to restore the skeleton and attach it to be ready to exhibit, says Sotheby’s.
The skeleton is believed to be from the late Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago, says Sotheby’s.
Ceratosaurus dinosaurs were double with short hands that look like Tyrannosaurus Rex but smaller ones. Ceratosaurus dinosaurs can grow up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) length, while the Tyrannosaurs Rex can be 40 feet (12 meters).
The skeleton was purchased last year by Fossilogic, Utah State Fascage Preparation and Mountain Company.
Wednesday’s auction was Sotheby’s Geek in 2025. It included 122 elements, including other meteorites, fossils and pearl quality minerals.