A massive rock believed to be the largest known piece of Mars ever found on Earth was on display at Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. It is set to be auctioned during the “Geek Week” event on July 16. AP Photo
A massive rock from Mars sold for over $5 million during a special auction in New York. However, a young dinosaur skeleton grabbed even more attention when it was sold for more than $30 million after a heated bidding war.
Giant Mars Rock Sells for Record Price
A rare space rock, weighing 54 pounds (25 kilograms), sold for around $5.3 million. The official bid reached $4.3 million, but with fees included, the final price set a new record for meteorites.
Experts believe a huge asteroid hit Mars and knocked the rock into space. After traveling about 140 million miles, it landed in the Sahara Desert, where a meteorite hunter found it in November 2023.
The rock, named NWA 16788, is now the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth. It measures 15 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 6 inches thick. It’s also 70% larger than any other Martian rock previously found on Earth.
The meteorite is special not just because of its size but also its makeup. Scientists say it is a “shergottite,” a rare Martian rock formed from cooling lava. Its outer layer turned glassy when it entered Earth's atmosphere.
Only 400 meteorites from Mars have ever been found, out of more than 77,000 total meteorites collected on Earth. That makes this rock extremely rare.
Dinosaur Skeleton Sells for $30 Million
While the Mars rock made history, a young dinosaur skeleton created even more excitement. The skeleton, belonging to a Ceratosaurus nasicornis, sold for $30.5 million after a six-minute bidding battle between six buyers.
This dinosaur lived about 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period. It was more than 6 feet tall and nearly 11 feet long. Scientists believe adult Ceratosauruses could grow up to 25 feet long.
The winning bidder has not been named, but plans to loan the skeleton to an educational institution. Only four skeletons of this dinosaur species exist, and this one is the only juvenile.
The bones were first discovered in 1996 in Wyoming. Fossil experts used 140 real fossil pieces and a few added parts to make the full display.
This skeleton now holds the third-highest auction price for a dinosaur. The record belongs to a Stegosaurus that sold last year for $44.6 million.
Auction Attracts Big Science Fans
Bidding for the Mars rock began at $1.9 million. Offers slowly increased in smaller steps until the winning price was reached.
The auction house said this Martian rock could be from a recent impact event. A lab compared it with samples gathered by Mars probes and confirmed it came from the red planet.
Experts say the texture, color, and mineral mix helped confirm its origin.
