Largest Mars Meteorite Heads To Auction Block

How Much Would You Pay For A Rock From Mars?

Who would pay several million dollars for a hunk of red, brown and gray rock? Well, when that rock is the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth, there may be plenty of candidates.

Sotheby’s will be auctioning off an impressively large chunk of the red planet in New York this week, and their auction estimate sits between $2 million and $4 million.

According to the auction house, the meteorite is believed to have been blown away from the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike before traveling 140 million miles to Earth, where it crashed into the Sahara. The hunk of rock measures nearly 15 inches by 11 inches by 6 inches, making it around 70% larger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth.

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The hunk of rock was found in Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023. According to Sotheby’s, it represents nearly 7% of all Martian material currently known on this planet.

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s newsletter.