Heritage Auctions presented a number of meteorites for sale at their January Natural History auction which concluded over the weekend.
Some of the pieces sold were ones which we reported on previously: a tiny, 2.61g piece of Martian chassignite sold on target at $3,884. Chassignites are incredibly rare, and consist of particularly iron-rich olivine which was formed far below the planet's surface and detached by a particularly deep impact.
 Martian Chassignite ($3,884) |
Likewise, a small piece of angrite fetched $2,390. Angrites are generally agreed to be meteorites formed on planets closer to the sun than Earth, and this one is thought to have formed on Mercury (though proving this is difficult as no one has landed a probe on Mercury to analyse the rocks).
Beating both of these, however, was an octahedrite - a small piece of the Campo del Cielo meteorite which fetched $5,527.
 Campo del Cielo octahedrite ($5,527) |
Octahedrites are iron-based meteorites which are rare than rocky meteorites. The Campo del Cielo piece landed in Argentina, and has provided some notable sales over the years - a 161kg piece sold at Bonhams for $91,375 in 2006.
Another octahedrite, from the Muonionalusta impact is to sell in London this Wednesday.
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Images: Heritage
