SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — FROM ONE OF THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWERS IN HUMAN HISTORY - photo 1

SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — FROM ONE OF THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWERS IN HUMAN HISTORY

Lot 47
28.03.2023 11:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 7 560
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 927038
Lot 47 | SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — FROM ONE OF THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWERS IN HUMAN HISTORY
Estimate value
$ 3 000 – 5 000
After having broken off its parent asteroid 320 million years ago, a massive iron mass wandered through interplanetary space until a close encounter with Earth on February 12, 1947. A fireball brighter than the Sun — i.e., it created moving shadows in broad daylight — was seen to explode at an altitude of about six kilometers over eastern Siberia. Sonic booms were heard at distances up to 300 km from the point of impact. Chimneys collapsed, windows shattered, and trees were uprooted by the resulting pressure wave. A 33-km-long smoke trail persisted for several hours in the atmosphere after impact. Sikhote Alin iron fragments were scattered over a broad elliptical area. Many of the meteorites penetrated the soil, producing impact craters up to 26 meters across; about 200 such depressions have been catalogued. Gratefully, this occurred near a sparsely populated area. A famous painting of the event by artist and eye-witness P. I. Medvedev was reproduced as a postage stamp issued by the Soviet government in 1957 to commemorate Sikhote-Alin’s 10th anniversary.

As evidenced by the regmaglypts (thumbprints) blanketing both sides of this mass, this specimen broke free in the mesosphere, providing sufficient time to experience frictional heating with the atmosphere to form the regmaglypts carved into the specimen. There is a thin veneer of fusion crust and chrome highlights along the ridges. Cleavage along crystalline planes is evident — a testament to the monumental forces exerted on this meteorite as it punched through Earth’s atmosphere as part of an extraordinary event, one of the greatest meteorite showers since the dawn of civilization. Accompanied by a magnetic armature which permits any orientation of this meteorite desired.

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

98 x 73 x 64mm (3.75 x 3 x 2.5 in.) and 569 grams (1.25 lbs)
Art style:Aestheticism
Category:Meteorite
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
28.03.2023
27.03.2023
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

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.