Overview

• Found in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter in Niger’s Agadez region, NWA 16788 is roughly 70% larger than any other Martian fragment recovered on Earth.
• Laboratory analysis confirmed the specimen is a shergottite olivine-microgabbro containing pyroxene and olivine, shedding light on Martian volcanic processes.
• Expelled from Mars by a massive asteroid impact, the meteorite traveled approximately 225 million kilometers before arriving on Earth.
• The buyer’s identity remains undisclosed, underscoring the opaque nature of high-end private collecting of rare scientific artifacts.
• At the same auction, a juvenile Ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton sold for $30.5 million, marking the third-highest price ever paid for a dinosaur fossil.