A 54-pound (25-kilogram) Martian meteorite, the largest ever found on Earth, will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York on July 16, 2025, with an estimated price of $2 million to $4 million. Known as NWA 16788, this red, brown, and gray rock—measuring 15 by 11 by 6 inches—was discovered in Niger’s Sahara Desert in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter. Believed to have been ejected from Mars by an asteroid impact, it traveled 140 million miles to Earth, making it a rare treasure, representing nearly 7% of all Martian material on the planet and dwarfing the next largest specimen by 70%.

Sotheby’s, hosting the meteorite as part of its Geek Week 2025 natural history auction, describes NWA 16788 as an “olivine-microgabbroic shergottite,” formed from slowly cooled Martian magma with pyroxene and olivine minerals. Its glassy surface, a result of intense heat during atmospheric entry, hinted at its extraterrestrial origin. Laboratory analysis, comparing its composition to data from the 1976 Viking Mars probe, confirmed its Martian provenance. “This is the largest piece of Mars we’ve ever found by a long shot,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s vice chairman for science and natural history, noting its significance among the 400 known Martian meteorites out of 77,000 recognized meteorites worldwide. Previously displayed at the Italian Space Agency in Rome, its owner remains undisclosed.

The auction also features a 6-foot-tall, 11-foot-long juvenile Ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton from the late Jurassic period, unearthed in 1996 at Wyoming’s Bone Cabin Quarry. Assembled from nearly 140 fossil bones with some sculpted additions, this bipedal predator, akin to a smaller Tyrannosaurus rex, carries a $4 million to $6 million estimate. Acquired by Fossilogic in 2024, it’s ready for display, adding to the allure of the 122-item auction, which includes other meteorites, fossils, and gem-quality minerals. This event underscores the growing fascination with cosmic and prehistoric relics, offering collectors a chance to own a piece of Mars and Earth’s ancient past.