The recent sale at Sotheby’s auction of a Martian meteorite of record weight caused a real scandal. The government of Niger, where the space rock fell, said it was taken out of the country illegally, but the auction organizers denied this.
Record meteorite
Recently, a meteorite that was once a piece of Mars was sold at an American auction at Sotheby’s. It flew through space for a long time before falling in the Sahara Desert in Niger. The new owner acquired it for $5.3 million, which is a record.
The weight of the celestial rock is also record-breaking. It weighs 25 kg and is the largest of all Martian meteorites. But it is quite possible that it will also set a record for the scale of the scandal that erupted after its sale.
The fact is that the government of Niger has stated that the rock was taken out of the country illegally. Last Friday, all exports of not only meteorites but also precious stones in general were suspended until further orders.
In response, representatives of Sotheby’s stated that all documents were in order. The rock was found by private individuals and sold to an international dealer, who then put it up for auction.
What the experts say
Experts say that the situation is indeed ambiguous and that Niger has the right to make claims. The fact is that different countries have different laws regarding meteorites. For example, in the US, a space rock found on private land is considered private property.
In Niger, however, it is a geological monument and belongs to the state. That is why the “legal export,” in which no Nigerian scientist saw the rock before the auction, seems highly questionable. At the same time, all participants in the process, including the intermediary and the end buyer, remain anonymous.
Among other things, the rock, named NWA 16788, has unique scientific research value. Thanks to its size, it can carry unique information about the Red Planet’s past.
According to phys.org
