If you have some serious cash lying around,polo ralph lauren, a chunk of the moon could be yours.
A piece of lunar meteorite is on sale at auction, and experts estimate the final price will tally at keast $340,000. The rock, called Dar al Gani 1058,polo homme, is the largest piece of the moon ever to be auctioned,polo homme,Deadly Anti-U.S. Riots Despite Obamas Apology - Ob, according to Heritage Auctions,abercrombie Waitress Calls Mom of 8 ‘Irrespo, which is handling the sale.
The 4-pound (1815 grams) meteorite is also the fourth-largest chunk of the moon available to the public,longchamps,polo ralph lauren, since the were never put up for sale.
"When it comes to the market for moon rocks,ralph lauren,longchamp, size does matter but so does origin," said Robert Pearlman,abercrombie and fitch Cyber Threats in 2011 Age of, editor of space history and artifacts site ,polo ralph lauren outlet, a SPACE.com partner and contributor,Fitness In Middle Age Helps Reduce Chronic Disease.
Moon rocks retrieved by human-made robotic probes, such as those sent by the United States and the Soviet Union, fetch higher prices than lunar meteorites,abercrombie france Page 2 - Companies Blog & News, because collectors value the history they represent, he said,polo ralph lauren pas cher.
"For example, three seed-sized pieces of that were brought back to Earth by a Russian robotic probe in 1970 were sold at auction 30 years later for $442,sac longchamp,500,polo lacoste pas cher," Pearlman told SPACE,Iran clings to Asian oil market as sanctions bite,polo femme.com,longchamps sac. "And while the moon rocks recovered by the Apollo astronauts are considered National Treasures and have never been awarded to individuals, hypothetical appraisals have suggested even a 1-gram sample could be worth millions."
The slab-shape Dar al Gani 1058 came to Earth via natural forces, originating as a piece of lunar highland breccias from the moon's far side,polo femme, experts say. Scientists don't know exactly when it was dislodged from the moon and fell onto Earth,polo ralph lauren outlet,sac longchamp pliage, but it was found in Libya in 1998,polo lacoste, according to the Meteoritical Society. It was put up for auction by an anonymous collector.
The opening bid for the moon rock is $170,polo ralph lauren pas cher,000,polo ralph lauren, and the . Heritage Auctions calls the specimen "worthy of the most important natural history museums in the world."
While the rock is expected to go to a museum, a private buyer could also be the highest bidder.