Overview

• NWA 16788 weighs 24.67 kg, making it 70 percent larger than the previous record-holding Martian meteorite.
• It was discovered in late 2023 by a meteorite hunter in Niger and features a reddish-brown fusion crust with minimal terrestrial alteration.
• Analyses show it was ejected from Mars by a large asteroid impact and traveled approximately 225 million kilometers before reaching Earth.
• Sotheby’s will open bids at $1.6 million in New York, with the specimen expected to fetch around $4 million.
• A portion of NWA 16788 will be held at a Chinese institution to preserve its research value despite private sale concerns.