Where’s the Kaboom?

A Sotheby’s specialist showcases the 54-pound NWA 16788 meteorite.
Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.One of this year’s most galactic auctions took place at Sotheby’s in July. A 54-pound Martian meteorite, named Northwest Africa 16788 (NWA 16788), fetched a record $5.3 million and was sold to an anonymous bidder. NWA 16788 was discovered by a meteorite hunter in 2023 in Niger’s Sahara Desert near the city of Agadez.Laboratory analysis determined that the meteorite was a g