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A 12-pound lunar meteorite discovered in Northwest Africa in 2017 rests on a table, in Amherst, N.H.
Rodrique Ngowi / AP
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Rodrique Ngowi / AP
A 12-pound lunar meteorite discovered in Northwest Africa in 2017 rests on a table, in Amherst, N.H.
Rodrique Ngowi / AP
A Boston-based online house auction began accepting Thursday bids on a rare lunar meteorite at $ 50,000. But the firm estimates it would be $ 500,000 or more when bidding closed on Oct. 18, according to the item's posting.
There are a few reasons why this meteorite might command such a large price.
First, at about 12 lbs., The lunar rock is very large.
"Considering that the average size of a meteorite is a few hundred grams, the magnitude of this offering is truly impressive," the posting says.
Second, this meteorite comes from the moon but was not brought back by astronauts.
"It is illegal to own any sample of lunar material collected by the Apollo missions to the moon," according to RR Auction.
"This was blasted off the surface of our moon in the distant past, then by the impact of a different meteorite, then journeyed to the quarter-million miles to Earth and-against all odds-survived a fiery descent through our atmosphere," the posting says.
The third reason it is for a small fortune is the meteorite is considered "unpaired," meaning it is unique.
A meteorite would be considered "paired" if it broke into different pieces before hitting Earth, with the pieces landing in different places and being discovered separately. This meteorite has not been matched to any other discovery.
"A unique gold" unpaired "meteorite is more desirable to collectors and perhaps more valuable to science, especially in those rare instances in which the single find is a very large stone," the posting says.
While unpaired, the rock includes six fragments that fit together like a puzzle – giving it one of its names, The Moon Puzzle.
It is technically designated as NWA 11789. The NWA part of that name stands for Northwest Africa, which is where it was found, in Mauritania, last year. The rock is also known by the name Buagaba.
According to The Associated Press, Aerolite Meteorites, founded by television star Meteorite Men, Geoff Notkin, is selling the rock.
Bidders should be aware of the specimen is considered a lunar feldspathic breccia in geological terms and absolutely no cheese.
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