The Sotheby’s auction<\/a> opened on July 16 at 14:00 UTC, and closed just under five hours later, at 18:46 UTC. Prior to the event, the value of this scientific marvel was estimated to be<\/a> between $2 million and $4 million, but ultimately it sold for $5.296 million.<\/p>\n The Martian rock’s pristine condition and rich history likely led to it surpassing expectations.<\/p>\n NWA-16788 “shows minimal terrestrial weathering, indicating that its physical and chemical makeup have not been significantly altered since its arrival in the Sahara Desert,” the Sotheby’s listing explains<\/a>.<\/p>\n “In other words, NWA-16788 is likely a relative newcomer here on Earth, having fallen from outer space rather recently.”<\/p>\n The rock was likely sent careening into Earth when an asteroid forcefully crashed<\/a> into its home planet, based on the presence of a few shock-melted<\/a> areas, and the fact that around a fifth of its make-up is a glass called maskelynite, which forms when feldspar is transformed through intense heat and pressure.<\/p>\n The Sotheby’s listing states<\/a> the meteorite was “formed from the slow cooling of Martian magma and [is] characterized by a coarse-grained texture composed primarily of pyroxene<\/a>, maskelynite<\/a>, and olivine<\/a>.”<\/p>\n These micro-gabbroic qualities make it particularly rare: only 5.4 percent of Mars<\/a> meteorites are classified as such.<\/p>\n It was discovered by a meteorite hunter in the Agadez region<\/a> of Niger, in November 2023. A small sample was sent to the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, where its Martian identity was confirmed.<\/p>\n Related: Man Keeps a Rock For Years Hoping It’s Gold. It Turns Out to Be Far More Valuable.<\/a><\/p>\n The auction raised mixed feelings from the scientific community, with some questioning whether we should really put a price-tag on such a rare specimen. <\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/mars-rock-closeup-body.jpg\")
A close-up of the very expensive rock. (Sotheby’s<\/a>)<\/p>\n