NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s New York hosts, for the first time a public view of meteorites in conjunction with Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and Other Rare Meteorites, an online auction taking place from February 7 – 14. In addition to rare and aesthetic iron meteorites—natural sculptures from outer space—and specimens with extraterrestrial gemstones, a highlight will be a meteorite recovered from last month’s Michigan fireball.
As was extensively reported worldwide, Earth’s atmosphere over Michigan was punctured by a visitor from the asteroid belt at 8:10 pm EST January 16, 2018. Shortly after atmospheric impact, the resulting fireball created sonic booms of such intensity that the resulting energy waves mimicked an earthquake terrifying local residents. The fireball broke apart and rained-down on Michigan between the cities of Lansing and Ann Arbor, and shortly thereafter hundreds of people took to the frozen lakes on an extraterrestrial treasure hunt. Very few specimens have thus far been found with less than 1 kg of material currently documented.
Ashley Moritz was one of the lucky meteorite hunters, Moritz reports: “I spotted a little hole in a patch of snow on the ice and was so excited upon extracting a small black rock.” The specimen, a chondritic meteorite, is covered with black fusion crust except for small portals providing a peek to this meteorite’s archetypal interior cream matrix. The Chicago’s Field Museum, which has a different specimen from this same meteorite shower said that because it fell on winter ice, “This is one of the best-preserved meteorites” in its collection. Such is the case with Moritz’s find, which will be offered in April.
The February 7-14 sale features some of the oldest objects in the solar system, A curated selection of objects on view will include specimens of the Moon and Mars (which are among the rarest substances on Earth), meteorites with museum provenance as well as meteorites from the largest meteorite shower since the dawn of civilization.
Highlights:
• MATCHLESS CANYON DIABLO METEORITE — NATURAL SCULPTURE FROM OUTER SPACE Iron – Coarse octahedrite IAB-MG Meteor Crater, Coconino County, Arizona (35°3' N, 111°2' W) Estimate: $150,000 - 250,000
• LARGE PARTIAL SLICE OF ESQUEL PALLASITE — EXTRATERRE STRIAL GEMS Pallasite – PAL Chubut, Argentina Estimate: $25,000 - 35,000
• DRONINIO METEORITE — NATURAL TABELTOP SCULPTURE FROM OUTER SPACE Iron, ataxite (ungrouped) Ryazan district, Russia Estimate: $6,000 - 35,000
• LARGE SEYMCHAN SPHERE — AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL CRYSTAL BALL Pallasite – PMG Magadan Distrcit, Russia Estimate: $15,000 - 25,000
