TATAHOUINE METEORITE — SHARING THE SAME NAME AS LUKE SKYWALKER’S HOME PLANET - photo 1

TATAHOUINE METEORITE — SHARING THE SAME NAME AS LUKE SKYWALKER’S HOME PLANET

Lot 50
23.02.2021 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 16 250
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 491260
Lot 50 | TATAHOUINE METEORITE — SHARING THE SAME NAME AS LUKE SKYWALKER’S HOME PLANET
Estimate value
$ 1 600 – 2 200
Nearly 99% of all meteorites originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. In the case of HED meteorites (howardites, eucrites and diogenites), scientists have found overwhelming evidence they originate from the asteroid Vesta (see lots 11, 17 and 46) — analyses corroborated by NASA’s Dawn Probe which visited Vesta in 2011. On July 27, 1931 the fireball from which this specimen was part, exploded into thousands of pieces and fell just outside the Tunisian town of Foum Tatahouine. Most of the fragments weighed less than one gram. The specimen offered here is an exception. Found by legendary collector Alain Carion, it features Tatahouine’s distinctive olive-green matrix, striated veins and accretions of black shock melt — the result of a collision with another asteroid. Diogenites are coarser grained than eucrites and originate from Vesta’s lower crust.

In acknowledgement of Star Wars scenes shot in Tunisia, Luke Skywalker’s home planet was named “Tatooine”. No other meteorite looks like Tatahouine, and this large specimen is accompanied by two scientific abstracts on its home: the second largest asteroid in our solar system, Vesta.

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.


37 x 29 x 27mm (1.5 x 1 x 1 in.) and 41.68g
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
09.02.2021 – 23.02.2021
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

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.
?>