A giant rock that traveled from Mars to Earth is set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, alongside a rare dinosaur skeleton, as part of the auction house’s Geek Week 2025.
The Martian meteorite, known as NWA 16788, is one of the largest ever discovered. Experts believe it was blasted off the surface of Mars by a powerful impact, then traveled roughly 140 million miles before landing in the Sahara Desert. A meteorite hunter found it in Niger in November 2023.
The rock measures nearly 15 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 6 inches thick and weighs 54 pounds. It is made of red, brown, and gray material, and has a shiny outer surface believed to have formed as it burned through Earth’s atmosphere.
According to Sotheby’s, the meteorite is about 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars ever found and accounts for nearly 7% of all known Martian material on Earth. Out of more than 77,000 officially recognized meteorites, only around 400 are believed to be from Mars.
Scientific tests confirm Martian origin
“This Martian meteorite is the largest piece of Mars we have ever found by a long shot,” said Cassandra Hatton, vice chairman for science and natural history at Sotheby’s. “So it’s more than double the size of what we previously thought was the largest piece of Mars.”
🇺🇸Sotheby’s is auctioning NWA 16788, a 54-pound Martian meteorite found in Niger in 2023. It's the largest known Mars rock on Earth, making up nearly 7% of all Martian material here. Formed from Martian magma, it may sell for $2–4 million. Only 400 Martian meteorites exist… pic.twitter.com/Z2YMW8sF0G
— Info Room (@InfoR00M) July 14, 2025
To confirm its origin, a small piece was sent to a laboratory, where scientists compared it to samples studied by NASA’s Viking lander, which touched down on Mars in 1976. The composition matched. Experts say the rock formed from slowly cooling Martian lava and contains minerals commonly found on the red planet.
The meteorite was previously on display at the Italian Space Agency in Rome. The exact date it landed on Earth is unknown, but testing suggests it only arrived recently. The seller remains unnamed.
A juvenile dinosaur skeleton is also on display
Also headlining the sale is the mounted skeleton of a juvenile Ceratosaurus nasicornis, discovered in 1996 at Bone Cabin Quarry near Laramie, Wyoming. The site is well-known among paleontologists for its rich fossil deposits.
Experts used nearly 140 fossil bones, along with a few reconstructed parts, to complete the display. The dinosaur, which lived about 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period, stood over 6 feet tall and stretched nearly 11 feet in length.
It walked on two legs and had short arms, resembling the Tyrannosaurus rex, but was smaller in size. While a T. rex could reach 40 feet, a full-grown Ceratosaurus measured about 25 feet.
Auction to feature 122 natural history items
Fossilogic, a fossil preparation company based in Utah, acquired the skeleton last year and prepared it for exhibition. Sotheby’s estimates the piece could fetch between $4 million and $6 million.
The auction will include 122 items related to natural history, including other meteorites, fossils, and gem-quality minerals. The event is part of Sotheby’s Geek Week 2025 and will be held in New York on Wednesday.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
