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International Business Times
International Business Times
Business

Auction Of World's Largest Mars Meteorite Sparks Ownership Debate

Mars Sotheby Earth Niger Paul Sereno New York Sotheby New York
The 54-pound Martian meteorite NWA 16788, the largest known piece of Mars ever discovered on Earth, was sold for a record $5.3 million at Sotheby's New York (Credit: AFP)

The recent auction of a Martian meteorite -- for a record-grabbing $5.3 million at Sotheby's New York -- has sparked questions over its provenance and renewed debate over who gets to claim rocks fallen from the heavens.

The hefty 54-pound (25-kilogram) stone is the largest Martian meteorite ever discovered on Earth, according to its Sotheby's listing, and was found in November 2023 in the vast Saharan desert in Niger.

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