Auction Moon Météorite, could bring in $ 500,000

An "extremely important" lunar meteorite is up for grabs at an auction center and is estimated at $ 500,000. What makes lunar meteorites so unique?

"The puzzle of the moon"

An "extremely important, world-class" meteorite is now auctioned at RR Auction, along with other space-related collectibles. Known affectionately as "The Moon Puzzle" but unofficially named Buagaba, this unique meteorite is actually made up of six pieces together, like a puzzle, the heaviest weighing 2,939 grams and the smallest, 144 grams. The entire meteorite weighs around 5.5 kilograms (12 lbs) and displays a melting crust that it eventually caused when it entered the Earth's atmosphere.

According to the auctioneers, to their knowledge, there is only one other lunar meteorite with a melting crust, possibly the collection of six LaPaz Icefield stones, all of which have a melting crust.

Important meteorite

RR Auction estimates that the meteorite could yield more than $ 500,000, especially since Buagaba is "unmatched", making it more desirable and valuable for collectors. This means that, unlike other lunar meteorites, Buagaba has no "pair" or is one of two or more fragments of a single meteorite that has entered the Earth's atmosphere.

Another factor contributing to the uniqueness of Buagaba is its size greater than 5 kilograms (12 lb), while other lunar meteorite samples measure on average a few hundred grams. According to the auctioneers, few, if any, museums have samples of lunar meteorites of this size and describe it as one of the world's largest meteorite acquisitions.

Lunar Meteorites

In simple terms, lunar meteorites are meteorites that were ejected from the moon and then found on Earth, probably due to an asteroid or comet impact. As meteorites tend to hit the moon every day, some of the rocks that escape the moon's surface escape its gravitational influence and are drawn into the gravitational influence of the Earth or the sun where they can bypass its orbit. Over the years, some of the rocks in orbit around the Earth and even the sun have finally fallen on Earth.

Among the largest lunar meteorites found are Kalahari 009, which weighs 13.5 kg (30 lb), Northwest 5000 (NWA) 5000 to 11.5 kg (25 lb) and Shisr 162 to 5, 5 kg (12 lb). The largest lunar meteorite found to date is the NWA 10309, which weighs 16.5 kilograms (36.4 pounds) and has been found in several pieces. As for Buagaba, it is a fairly large lunar meteorite of 5.5 kg. Its scientific name, NWA 11789, comes from the fact that it was found in the deserts of northwestern Africa.

Of the meteorites found on Earth, only 0.1% come from the Moon, 99.8% of them being pieces of asteroids.

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