Largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth sold for $4.3 million

(Patria) - An "incredibly rare" piece of Mars, the largest ever found on Earth, was sold at auction in New York for $4.3 million.

The meteorite known as NWA 16788 weighs 24.5 kilograms and is 38.1 centimeters long, Sotheby's announced.

It was discovered in a remote region of Niger in November 2023 and is 70 percent larger than the next largest piece of Mars found.

Auction house Sotheby's described the meteorite, a reddish-brown rock, as "incredibly rare." Only about 400 Martian meteorites have been found on Earth to date.

- This is the largest piece of Mars on planet Earth. The odds of this making it from there to here are astronomically small. Keep in mind that about 70 percent of Earth's surface is covered by water.

So we are incredibly lucky that this landed on dry land and not in the middle of the ocean - said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's Vice President for Science and Natural History.

It remains unclear where the meteorite will end up, as information about the buyer will remain private.

Additional taxes and fees brought the total price of the rock to about $5.3 million, Sotheby's reported.

More than 100 items were featured at the auction. A Late Jurassic ceratosaurus skeleton sold for $26 million, and a pachycephalosaurus skull for $1.4 million.