Niger will investigate how a meteorite from mars ended up in a safe place. The Rare Space Rock was auctioned for over $ 5 million in New York Last Month. How That Could Happen is Now Unclear.
The Anonymous Buyer Paid $ 5.3 Million (Approximately € 4.6 Million) for the Meteorite. The 25-Kilo Rock is the Largest Martian Meteorite Ever Found.
The Rock is over 38 centimeters in Size and Has Been Named NWA 16788. The Stone was discovered in 2023 in a Remote Area of Niger. Whether That Country Received a Portion of the Auction Processeds is Uncleear.
After the Auction, The Question Arose: How did the stone end up under Sotheby’s Hammer? The Nigerien Government has Expressed Doubts About the Legality of the Stone’s Export, Writes BBC News. The Government Speaks of “Possible Illegal International Trade.”
Sotheby’s Denies This and States That The Correct Procedures Were Followed. Neverberness, Niger Has Launched an Investigation Into The Circumstances Surrounding the Discovery and Sale of the Meteorite. Little Has Been Disclosed about How the Stone Ended Up in the United States. Sotheby’s Says It is also reviewing The Deal Itelf But States That No Rules Were Broken.
Accordance to an expert who spoke to bbc news, you “should do just take something that is important to a country’s heritage – Whether Cultural, Physical, Natural or Extraterrestrial.” Yet the Laws on Extraterrestrial Material Are Still Underdeveloped, Making It Unclear Whetherites Fall Under Normal Agreements. Niger has already admitted that the country “does not yet have specific legislation for meteorites.”