Martian meteorite that is the largest known piece of Mars found on Earth has sold for $5.3 million at Sotheby's, setting a new auction record for a meteorite. The auction on Wednesday for the rock known as NWA 16788 sparked a 15-minute bidding war between online and phone bidders.

The odds of this getting from there to here are astronomically small, Sotheby’s Cassandra Hatton said, as record-breaking Martian meteorite NWA 16788 is set to sell under the hammer in New York. Weighing in at 54 pounds,

The largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth has sold for just over $5 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York.