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A Boston-based auction house is looking for the next proud owner of a 12-pound lunar meteorite, priced at $ 500,000.
(AP Photo / Rodrique Ngowi)
A Boston-based auction house is looking for the next proud owner of a 12-pound lunar meteorite, priced at $ 500,000.
The moon rock auction, also called "The Moon Puzzle" and the "Buagaba", is scheduled to begin Thursday and continue until October 18, according to RR Auction.
"A very important and world-class example of a lunar meteorite, it was projected on the surface of the Moon in the distant past, probably by the impact of a different meteorite, then traveled the quarter of a million kilometers to the Earth and – against all. odds – survived a fiery descent into our atmosphere that is found in the deserts of northwestern Africa in 2017, "said the auction house in an online article description.
The location where it was discovered also helped determine its scientific name – NWA 11789, whose letters represent Northwest Africa.
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The meteorite has a "partial melting crust", a seemingly rare feature that was caused by the impact of high heat as it descended into the atmosphere, the description says.
It is also composed of six fragments that fit like a puzzle, the largest of which weighs about 6 pounds.
The lunar meteorite of 12 pounds was discovered in Northwest Africa in 2017, announced the auction house.
(AP Photo / Rodrique Ngowi)
The previously discovered lunar meteorites were usually about the size of a nut or golf ball, Geoff Notkin told The Associated Press.
Notkin is the star of the television show "Meteorite Men", as well as the CEO of Aerolite Meteorites, which has put the stone up for sale and is dedicated to its authenticity, said RR Auctions.
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"As soon as we saw this, we knew it was extraordinarily unusual," Notkin said. "This is close to a unique discovery in a lifetime."
The auction house touted the uniqueness of the lunar meteorite, claiming it was "one of the largest meteorites available for acquisition in the world today and, perhaps, the most 39, the most significant example of our closest celestial neighbor ever offered for sale in the history of meteorite science. "
The sale could also prove to be quite special for an interested private collector.
Robert Livingston, executive vice president of RR, told The Associated Press that the auction "is the only way for a private collector" to secure this type of article "because the moon rocks reported by astronauts are the property of the US government ".
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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