A recent auction at Sotheby’s has made headlines, revealing that the meteorite sold is the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth. This remarkable space rock has now achieved the status of the highest selling meteorite in history. Cassandra Hatton, the vice chairman for science and natural history at Sotheby’s, shared her excitement, stating, “You get close to it, you can feel like you’re looking at the planet. There’s a lot of texture and ripples and ridges and such.”
The journey of this extraordinary meteorite to our planet was nothing short of miraculous. Researchers emphasize that the odds of this red, brown, and gray meteorite reaching Earth were incredibly slim. Allan Treiman, a principal scientist at Houston’s Lunar and Planetary Institute, described its entry into the atmosphere as a “bright fireball.” While many meteoroids burn up upon atmospheric entry, those that survive to land intact are classified as meteorites by NASA.
The meteorite, measuring over 14 inches in length, was discovered by a meteorite hunter in Niger in November 2023. However, confirming its origins required further investigation. A laboratory in China conducted tests that identified maskelynite, a glassy material often found in meteorites. This lab analysis revealed that the chemical composition of the meteorite closely matched those collected during NASA’s Viking mission to Mars in 1976.
While the exact landing date of the meteorite remains unknown, Sotheby’s suggests it likely landed recently due to its well-preserved condition. Paul Asimow, a professor of geology and geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, noted that meteorites like this one "carry information about the history of the Solar System that cannot be learned any other way.” When Hatton first touched the meteorite, she described its texture as resembling a glossy rock.
In recent years, other Martian meteorites have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but this new discovery dwarfs those in size, being more than double their dimensions. Hatton remarked, “None of them have a presence that this had. I mean, this really looks like a piece of Mars, whereas pretty much every other Martian meteorite you see is going to just kind of look like a little rock.”
Hatton chose not to disclose the identity of the meteorite’s buyer, but she pointed out that the public’s fascination with this space rock reflects an increasing interest in space exploration. As scientists around the globe search for signs of extraterrestrial life, Hatton recalls how people once teased her for her passion for science. “All of these people are coming back to me saying, ‘Oh my God, you were right all along,’” she shared.
As for when another large meteorite might be discovered, Asimow humorously stated, “There is nothing we can do to get another, but sit around for an eternity and hope another one falls.” The excitement surrounding this Martian meteorite not only highlights its scientific significance but also underscores our ongoing quest to understand the universe.
