New York’s Sotheby’s auction house has sold the largest known Martian meteorite on Earth for $5.296 million – nearly double its pre-sale estimate – in a five-hour bidding war. Weighing 24.67 kilograms, the specimen named NWA 16788 was discovered by an anonymous meteorite hunter in Niger’s Sahara Desert in November 2023, approximately 90 kilometers west of the Chirfa oasis.
Prior to the auction, the rock had been exhibited at the Italian Space Agency during the 2024 European Researchers’ Night and studied at the University of Florence’s Earth Science Department. Sotheby’s analysis confirmed the meteorite shows “minimal terrestrial alteration,” preserving its original physical and chemical composition since landing on Earth.
Martian meteorites are exceptionally rare, with only 400 identified among Earth’s 77,000 documented space rocks. Representing 6.5% of all known Martian material by weight, this specimen is 70% larger than the next-biggest Martian meteorite. The anonymous buyer’s identity remains undisclosed, though scientists hope the meteorite will remain accessible for future research.