Rare Martian Meteorite NWA-16788 Set for Sotheby's Auction at £2.9 Million

The recently discovered meteorite NWA-16788, touted as the largest chunk of Mars ever found on Earth, is poised to fetch an estimated £2.9 million ($4 million) at an auction organized by Sotheby’s scheduled for July 16, 2025. Weighing 24.67 kilograms (54.39 pounds), the specimen, which was first identified in November 2023, is significantly larger than the previous record-holder, the Taoudenni 002 meteorite, which weighed 14.51 kilograms and was found in Mali in 2021.

NWA-16788 was discovered in the Agadez region of Niger, an area more renowned for its dinosaur fossils than meteorites. The Shanghai Astronomy Museum confirmed the rock's Martian origin following the analysis of a small sample sent for examination. According to the auction listing by Sotheby’s, the meteorite exhibits minimal terrestrial weathering, suggesting that it arrived on Earth relatively recently and has retained much of its original physical and chemical properties.

Meteorites, which are fragments that survive the passage through Earth’s atmosphere, vary greatly in size, with most remaining unnoticed as they land predominantly in oceans or remote areas. Of the over 77,000 officially recognized meteorites on Earth, fewer than 400 are known to have originated from Mars, making NWA-16788 a particularly significant find.

Experts express mixed feelings about the impending auction of this rare specimen. Paleontologist Dr. Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh voiced concerns that such a valuable meteorite should ideally reside in a museum rather than in a private collection. He stated, "It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch; it belongs in a museum, where it can be studied and enjoyed by the public."

Conversely, Dr. Julia Cartwright, a planetary scientist from the University of Leicester, acknowledged the potential for scientific inquiry to continue even under private ownership, noting that the new owner might still be interested in studying the meteorite. "The scientific interest will remain," she remarked, adding that significant information could still be gleaned from the specimen.

Prior to its auction, NWA-16788 was showcased at an exhibition at the Italian Space Agency in Rome in 2024 and subsequently displayed in a private gallery in Arezzo, Tuscany. The auction at Sotheby’s is expected to attract significant attention from collectors and scientific communities alike.

The implications of the auction extend beyond monetary value. The sale of such a rare meteorite raises important questions about the ownership and accessibility of extraterrestrial materials. As more meteorites are discovered and collected, the potential for private ownership of significant scientific specimens could alter the landscape of planetary research and public engagement with space science. The auction will commence at 14:00 UTC on July 16, 2025, and is anticipated to garner international interest, highlighting humanity's enduring fascination with Mars and our quest to understand our cosmic origins.