Rare Moon meteorite sold in the United States

A meteorite that is one of the largest pieces of the Moon ever on sale is auctioned online by a Boston-based American auction company.

The lunar rock, weighing about 5.5 kg, was discovered last year in a remote region of Mauritania.

It is thought that he plunged to Earth thousands of years ago.

Its size and composition are very unusual. It could cost around $ 500,000 (£ 380,000) when it goes on sale at RR Auction.

It is "one of the largest meteorites available for acquisition in the world," said the firm.

It consists of six fragments, the largest of which weighs about 3 kg, and displays a "partial melting crust", a heat-created coating that burns the rock as it passes through the atmosphere.

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Most lunar meteorites found are normally smaller – the size of a nut ball or golf, said Geoff Notkin, CEO of Aerolite Meteorites, which sells the rock.

"As soon as we saw this, we understood that it was extraordinarily unusual," he told The Associated Press (AP). "It's almost a unique find in life."

A natural history museum may be the obvious buyer for such an object, but according to RR, private collectors may see it as a unique opportunity to own a piece of the moon.

"This is the only way for a private collector to get hold of a piece of the moon because rocks reported by astronauts are owned by the US government," RR's executive vice president told AP. , Robert Livingston.

The online auction, which begins Thursday, will run until October 18th.