Sotheby’s latest auction item: The largest piece of Mars on Earth

One determined bidder is about to become Mars’ largest property holder. Though no word yet on if it’s zoned for commercial or residential development.

Later today, Sotheby’s in New York is auctioning off a 57-lb piece of rock, called NWA 16788, that’s believed to have blown off the surface of Mars and traveled ~140 million miles to Earth.

• The chunk of rock from the red planet is ~70% larger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth.
• In fact, it represents ~7% of all the Martian material currently on Earth, according to Sotheby’s.

It also marks a rare red find: Out of the ~80,000 officially recognized meteorites found on Earth, less than 400 originated from Mars.

It's not clear exactly when this Mars meteorite hit Earth, but testing shows it probably happened in recent years prior to the rock being discovered in the Sahara Desert in late 2023. Sotheby’s expects it to fetch between $2 million-$4 million in today’s proceedings.

Zoom out: Other non-Martian items on sale during Sotheby's “Geek Week 2025,” a natural history-themed garage sale of sorts, include an ~11-foot-long juvenile Ceratosaurus dinosaur skeleton believed to be from the late Jurassic period (est. value: $4 million–$6 million). In total, 122 items that would make Indiana Jones (or Nic Cage) jealous are up for grabs.