DAKAR, Senegal — The world’s largest Mars meteorite ever found on Earth — a 54-pound (25-kilogram) specimen named NWA 16788 — has sold for more than $5 million at a New York auction, setting a world record. But in Niger, where the rock was discovered in the Sahara Desert, officials have opened an investigation into potential “illicit international trafficking.”
From the Sahara to Sotheby’s
According to Sotheby’s, the meteorite was blasted from Mars by a massive asteroid impact before traveling an estimated 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) to Earth. It was found in northwestern Niger in November 2023 by an unnamed meteorite hunter.
The auction house did not disclose the identities of either the seller or the buyer.
Labubu Toy Heist: $7K Stolen from California Store Amid Soaring Demand
Growing Trade in Space Rocks
The Sahara Desert has become a hotspot for meteorite hunting due to its dry climate, which helps preserve extraterrestrial rocks. While meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, those originating from Mars or the Moon are the rarest and most valuable.
Hunters often sell their finds to private collectors or research institutions. In this case, the academic journal Heritage reported that NWA 16788 was first sold to an international dealer before being acquired by a private gallery in Italy. Scientists from the University of Florence studied the specimen to analyze its structure and origin before it was displayed briefly in Rome.
AI Manipulation: What My Failed Podcast Taught Me About Trust and Transparency
Dispute Over Export Legality
Following last month’s auction in New York, Niger’s government raised questions about how the meteorite left the country and whether its export violated national or international laws. Authorities have not confirmed whether they will seek the meteorite’s return.
The Niger Mars meteorite remains in private hands as the investigation continues.
