Rare meteorites from the Moon, Mars and more to go under the hammer

For those looking for an accessory a little out of this world, the auction house has an unusual offering: meteorites.

In an online sale, Christie’s auction house displays a range of celestial bodies, including monsters from the moon and Mars, as well as aesthetic iron meteorites and gemstone rocks.

Meteorites are small natural objects from outer space that survive their passage through Earth’s atmosphere and the Earth’s surface – and while some specimens are in museums, 75 of them were sold this month as part of “Deep Impact: Mars and the Moon” and other rare meteorites. “

Below the group is a statue made from the dust of a 7 billion year old star – a pointed stony meteorite that made its way to Earth in an unusual way.

Unlike most other meteors, this meteor did not flip or capsize when it collided with the ground and instead maintained a steady orientation as it descended, according to Christy. Weighing in at about 16 pounds, this stone has an estimated sale of $ 50,000-80,000, and has clear, contrasting markings on the side facing the ground.

There is also a ball made from the meteor core of a shattered Swedish asteroid. credit: Christie’s

“Everyone has a picture in their head of what a meteor should be – a foreign body that is being heated up by friction as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere,” said James Hislop, head of the science and natural history department at Christie’s. . From this fiery fall, it seems that shared idealism can be seen in this meteorite. “

Gibbon Meteorite is being sold for an estimated $ 15,000- $ 25,000 credit: Christie’s

There is also a cross-section of Mars rocks for sale, with bubbles from the planet’s atmosphere trapped in the slide, ranging from $ 30,000 to $ 50,000 in value. Auctioneers are also showing a specimen of a meteor hailing from the largest meteor showers in the United States, in Odessa, Texas, that auctioneers expect to collect $ 60,000, along with a ball made from a meteor core from a shattered Swedish asteroid, that could sell for $ 18,000.

But not all things charge astronomical prices – some have a spare mark starting at $ 250 for their auction beginning Feb.9.