This piece of Mars is for sale

NWA 16788 came from Mars after a collision with a massive asteroid and drifted for many years. It was eventually captured by Earth's gravitational field and ended up landing in the Sahara desert in the Agadez region, where it was discovered by researchers in 2023.

Now, the largest known chunk of Mars on Earth is up for auction, with bids already at $1.92 million, with 12 days to go until the closing of bids. The chunk of Mars weighs 24.67 kilograms and its internal composition suggests it was 'broken' from the surface of Mars by an asteroid impact that was so powerful that it turned some of the meteorite's minerals into glass, explains New Atlas .

The reason for the high interest and the high price it is commanding is due to its rarity: of the more than 77 thousand officially recognized meteorites, only 400 come from Mars and this is the largest on record.

The final sale is scheduled to take place on July 16, during Sotheby's annual gathering of science auctions, known as Geek Week.