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NWA 12696 Vesta Asteroid Sphere

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
NWA 12696 Vesta Asteroid Sphere

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Auction Date:2021 Apr 22 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:15th Floor WeWork, Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Eucrite, Impact Melt Breccia
The Sahara Desert, Algeria

Recovered in Algeria in 2017 by a group of seasoned meteorite hunters, the meteorite from which this sphere originated is a sample of lava launched off of the asteroid Vesta following a collision between Vesta with another asteroid. NASA’s Dawn space probe which orbited Vesta for more than a year sent back reams of scientific data which confirmed Vesta as the place of origin. This polished sphere features shock melt with a variety of basaltic clasts that contain approximately 60% pyroxene and 35% plagioclase. There is also some terrestrial tinting, the result of the meteorite’s long residency in the Sahara. While a good deal of material is lost in the sphere fabrication process, the result is stunning: this diminutive globe of Vesta evokes a beautiful planet from parts unknown.

63 x 63 x 63 mm and 346 grams.

Provenance: The Stifler Collection of Meteorites.