For many hundreds of years, people have been fascinated by the heavens, and especially by objects that periodically fall from heaven to earth.
Modern scientists know that in ancient Egypt people very highly appreciated the metals contained in meteorites that fell to the ground, and even used them to make jewelry.
Until the 40s of the last century, meteorites were mainly stored in museums or scientific institutes. However, starting in 1946, pieces of these objects began to be sold in America, which were bought by enthusiastic collectors, exposing their collections to the public.
These space objects are bought and sold, often at space prices.
Below we will tell you about the most expensive meteorites that have been sold.
9. Gibeon meteorite
This meteorite was discovered in 1836. According to scientists, it fell to Earth about 500,000 years ago. It was first discovered by the Nama tribe, which used separate pieces for the manufacture of weapons and tools. The estimated cost of the meteorite is € 280,000.
8. Meteorite Zagami
This meteorite is considered the largest ever to fall to Earth. In 1962, a farmer from Zagami, Nigeria was nearly killed by this meteor that landed just meters away. Part of the meteorite was sold for over € 278,000.
7. Dar al Ghani 1058
The Dar al Ghani meteorite became the most expensive meteorite to be auctioned. Its cost is estimated at € 281,000. This meteorite was found in Libya in 1998.
6. Meteorite Chelyabinsk
This meteorite fell on February 15, 2013 as a result of the deceleration of a small asteroid in the Earth's atmosphere. The fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite was accompanied by its destruction with the propagation of a series of shock waves over the territory of the Chelyabinsk region and part of the neighboring regions of Russia, as well as Kazakhstan.
Many fragments have been found in the Chelyabinsk region. The largest of the fragments, with a total weight of 654 kg, were recovered on October 16, 2013 from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul. The meteorite is estimated at € 336,000.
5. Springwater meteorite
The meteorite was found in 1931 in the Saskatchewan province of Canada. The largest fragment weighing 52.8 kg is kept at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
This meteorite is considered one of the most coveted by collectors. Its cost is estimated at € 511,000.
4. Meteorite Conception Junction
This meteorite was found in 2006 in Missouri. Researchers believe it was once part of an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Its cost was estimated at € 724,000.
3. Willamet meteorite
The meteorite weighs more than 15.5 tons and is the size of a subcompact car. Several parts of it were chipped off.
This meteorite is the largest meteorite ever found in the United States of America and the sixth largest meteorite in the world. It was discovered in Oregon. Its cost is estimated at € 851,000.
2. Meteorite Branham
The bulk of the meteorite was discovered in 2005 in Kansas. Its cost was estimated at more than € 896,000.
1. Meteorite Fukan
The Fukang meteorite was found near the city of Fukang, which is located in northwestern China. In honor of this city, a meteorite was named, which is sometimes called a cosmic gem.
The meteorite is 50% iron-nickel base and 50% olivine. The total weight of the meteorite was over 1,000 kilograms. The meteorite was divided into several pieces, which were put up for auction. The total cost of the meteorite is estimated at € 1.7 million.