If you are looking for an out-of-this-world gift on Valentine’s Day, the auction house offers Rare meteorite pieces From the moonMars and Beyond — for under $ 250.
The online sale starts Tuesday, February 9th Christie’s Auctions 72 meteorites auctioned — solid bits of debris from celestial bodies such as comets and asteroids reaching Earth Shooting starsSomehow they managed to survive their journey through our atmosphere to land on the surface.
«The weight of each known meteorite is less than the annual global production of gold, and this sale provides amazing examples for every collector, and they are available in estimates ranging from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars,» the auction house wrote on its website. website.
The collection includes a meteorite containing 7 billion year-old star dust, space gemstones covered in iron and the fourth largest slice of the moon. Big piece of Mars rockValued at $ 30,000 to $ 50,000, the planet’s atmosphere bubbles are trapped inside
Christie’s
According to Christy, there are dozens of samples from the Moon and MarsAnd a dozen other famous museums around the world previously housed.
«Everyone has an image in their mind of what a meteorite should look like — an extraterrestrial object that is heated up by friction while penetrating the Earth’s atmosphere,» James Hislop, head of the science and natural history division at Christie’s, said in a statement. «Rarely do things survive this fiery drop. They seem like that shared idealism seen in this meteor. It’s just so wondrous that you watch and have the honor of being tasked with selling it.»
None of the objects in the group ever hit the ground — a young boy in Morocco found a meteorite in the branches of a tree the next day Meteor shower They are valued at approximately $ 15,000 to $ 25,000. However, the last of the largest meteor showers in the United States was hailed in Odessa, Texas, and expected to bring in $ 40,000 to $ 60,000.
Curator Daryl Pitt said: «If there is a time that terrifies you in the endless night sky, we live in it, but if you want inspiration and see eyes open — touch a meteor.»
Christie’s
The auction house said one of the highlights was a meteorite weighing 16 pounds and estimated to sell for between $ 50,000 to $ 80,000.
The auction house said: «Unlike 99% of all other meteorites, this meteor did not capsize or capsize while it descended on Earth, but it maintained a steady orientation throughout its descent.» «The surface facing the Earth displays elongated flight signs radiating outward in this aerodynamic shape outside the Earth.»
Meteorites are found all over the world, from the Sahara Desert to Chile to Russia.
The «Deep Impact: Mars, Lunar and Other Rare Meteorites» auction will run until February 23, and interested New York buyers can see in person by appointment.
