„The largest fragment of Mars on Earth, ejected from the surface of Mars as a result of a powerful asteroid impact, traveled 140 million miles in space and flew through the Earth's atmosphere before crashing into the Sahara Desert“, Sotheby's website states.
It was previously reported that it could sell for $ 4 million.
The stone was discovered on November 16, 2023 by a meteorite hunter and is designated NWA 16788.
Fragments from Mars are „incredibly rare“. There are more than 77,000 known meteorites on Earth, of which only 400 are of Martian origin.
According to Sotheby's, NWA 16788 weighs 24.67 kg, which represents 6.5% of all Martian material currently known on Earth.