NWA 12691 — PARTIAL SLICE OF THE MOON - photo 1

NWA 12691 — PARTIAL SLICE OF THE MOON

Sold
$ 15 000
Auction dateClassic
25.08.2020 10:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 389973
Lot 30 | NWA 12691 — PARTIAL SLICE OF THE MOON
Lot Description:
This sloping triangular partial slice exhibits the archetypal structure of a brecciated Moon Rock. Vestiges of the Sahara Desert accent the external rim. The classic characteristics of a feldspathic lunar breccia are in evidence: white anorthositic clasts suspended in a charcoal lunar groundmass fused together as a result of an impact melt that solidified. The low average concentrations of FeO and Th indicate this lunar sample originated in the feldspathic lunar highlands. Its primary minerals are anorthite, olivine, pigeonite, augite, silica, ilmenite and kamacite. The brecciation seen is the result of the ongoing bombardment of the lunar surface by asteroid impacts prior to the collision responsible for launching this Moon rock to Earth. Modern cutting.
123 x 109 x 4mm (4.75 x 4.25 x 0.1 in.)
71.9g

Specimens of the Moon are among the rarest substances on Earth. Less than 650 kg of lunar meteorites are known to exist. All would fit within five footlockers and a significant portion is controlled by governmental institutions. While Apollo astronauts returned with less than 400 kg of Moon rocks, not one milligram of this material is available for private ownership. Recently recovered in the Sahara Desert, this is a sample of NWA 12691. Scientists identify Moon rocks by their specific textural, mineralogical, chemical and isotopic signatures. Many of the common minerals found on Earth’s surface are rare or absent on the Moon and some lunar minerals are unknown on Earth. In addition, Moon rocks contain gases captured from the solar wind with isotopic ratios very different from the same gases found on Earth. Lunar meteorites arrived on Earth after having been blasted off the lunar surface by the collision of an asteroid or comet. This particular specimen was part of a meteorite shower straddling the Mauritanian, Western Saharan and Algerian borders and is responsible for approximately half of the lunar meteorites known. As one would expect, many of the Moon rocks returned by Apollo missions are nearly identical to lunar meteorites — and such is the case here.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
12.08.2020 – 25.08.2020
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.