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Northwest Africa (NWA) 11303 Lunar Meteorite Full Slice

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:20,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD
Northwest Africa (NWA) 11303 Lunar Meteorite Full Slice

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Auction Date:2020 Jul 16 @ 18:00 (UTC-05:00 : 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
Lunar meteorite, feldspathic breccia Northwest Africa, found 2017. Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia). Complete laboratory-prepared slice weighing 83.9 grams and measuring 123 mm x 95 mm x 3 mm. Exceptional and superb, palm-sized complete slice. This specimen was taken from the center of a large mass and is the most significant lunar meteorite slice in this auction. Expertly prepared in the laboratory with a custom-built saw, this full slice was meticulously polished to bring out its variegated multi-hued interior, chock full of extraterrestrial fragments that originated in ancient and far-away places.

NWA 11303 is one the most visually appealing lunar meteorites available to collectors, and the favorite of our resident meteorite expert, Geoffrey Notkin. It was found in 2017 and classified by meteorite scientists A. Irving and S. Kuehner at the Department of Earth at Space Sciences at UWS. Laboratory-polished slices reveal a kaleidoscope of clasts of varying sizes and colors, clearly demonstrating the multi-faceted composition of this lunar breccia. As noted above, it is expected to see little or no iron and lunar meteorites, but NWA 11303 contains visible metallic inclusions. This extraterrestrial nickel-iron was likely brought to the Moon on board large asteroid fragments, suggesting NWA 11303 is a composite of indigenous lunar material combined with meteorite fragments that could have originated hundreds of millions of miles away. The laboratory noted the extreme hardness of this rock, which lent itself to an exceptional polish. Accompanied by presentation case and embossed Aerolite Meteorites certificate of authenticity.