The NWA 16,788 meteorite is the largest Martian rock ever discovered. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
Arriving straight from Mars, a meteorite weighing around 25 kg was sold on July 16 by the auction house Sotheby's to an anonymous private buyer for a record sum exceeding $5 million (about €4.3 million).
The sale of the largest Martian meteorite ever found has angered Niger, where it was discovered in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter "in the remote Agadez region of Niger." The government announced that it would open an investigation following the auction to "shed light on the matter."
The incident "very likely has all the characteristics of illicit international trafficking," according to officials in the Nigerien capital, which suspended exports of precious stones and meteorites on Friday, August 8, until further notice. Sotheby's denies the allegations and insists the stone was "exported from Niger and transported in accordance with all applicable international procedures." However, in light of the controversy, a review of the case is underway.
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