Christie's Auction House is offering a new sale online on a variety of literally otherworldly goods, including a range of various specimens from the moon and Mars alongside various meteorites, many of which contain gemstones.
Titled "Deep Impact: Martin, Luther and Other Rare Minorities," the auction is set to take place between February 9 and February 23, and has a total of 75 different items up for auction.
One of the notable highlights is an aesthetic oriented meteorite around 7.2 kg in weight with an estimated value ranging from $50,000-80,000. Most meteorites suffer some deformation upon entering the Earth's atmosphere, tumbling or inverting themselves in the process. This one, however, remained stable throughout its descent. And this is reflected by the condition of its surfaces, with the side facing the Earth having elongated flightmarks, according to Christie's website.
"Everyone has an image in mind of how a meteorite 'should look' — an extraterrestrial body frictionally heated while punching through Earth's atmosphere," said James Hyslop, head of science and natural history at Christie's, according to CNN. "Rarely do the objects survive this fiery descent look like that shared ideal seen in this meteorite."
Other highlights include one item titled "7 billion year old stardust" (valued between $4,000-6,000); a fragment from Mars (valued between $30,000-50,000), two items referred to as "natural sculptures from outer space" (valued at $70,000-100,000 and $180,000-260,000 respectively); and what is supposedly the fourth largest slice of the moon (valued between $250,000-350,000).
But while these prices are more than sky high, they are not the only ones up for auction. For those on tighter budgets, there are several other items that have price tags more down to Earth than the highlights, with the lowest estimates starting at $250.
The market value of a meteorite is often difficult if not impossible to determine. This is due to the fact that they can contain various different materials, many of which could be common to Earth. This, however, won't stop many collectors from attempting to take home their own extraterrestrial findings. And many of these collectors can certainly afford it, with a few celebrities and other rich individuals from across the world expected to try their luck at the auction.
And among them, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Elon Musk, currently the richest man in the world and whose ambitions are quite literally among the stars, according to The Guardian, along with actor Nicholas Cage, famed musician Yo-Yo Ma and Israeli illusionist Uri Geller.