WINCHCOMBE METEORITE — THE LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS OF THE RECIPE OF LIFE - photo 1
WINCHCOMBE METEORITE — THE LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS OF THE RECIPE OF LIFE - photo 2

WINCHCOMBE METEORITE — THE LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS OF THE RECIPE OF LIFE

Vendu
$ 30 240
Date de l'enchèreClassic
23.02.2022 00:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Lieu de l'événement
Royaume-Uni, London
Archive
La vente aux enchères est terminée. Vous ne pouvez plus enchérir.
Archive
ID 716439
Lot 54 | WINCHCOMBE METEORITE — THE LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS OF THE RECIPE OF LIFE
Similar to lot 1. Winchcombe is an idyllic small market town of early medieval origin in the Cotswold Hills of Gloucestershire, about 100 miles west and slightly north of London. Winchcombe was not widely known throughout the world, but all that would change on February 28, 2021. As described in the Meteoritical Bulletin (abridged) and widely reported throughout the world:

"A bright fireball was observed blazing across the sky, travelling from approximately W to E over the United Kingdom at 21:54 (UT) on 28 February 2021. The fireball was recorded by 14 stations operated by the six meteor camera networks comprising the UK Fireball Alliance. It was also caught on numerous dashboard and doorbell cameras. There were over 1000 eyewitness accounts from across the entire UK, as well as Ireland and northern Europe, with reports of a sonic boom in the local area. The following morning, the Wilcock family discovered a pile of dark stones and powder on their driveway in the town of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire. Material from the impact site was collected into plastic bags that morning."

The Bulletin goes on to describe who found what in the ensuing days, and the name that comes up most often is that of Chris Casey, an intrepid meteorite hunter who found multiple specimens over the course of a week. In total, only 602 grams of Winchcombe was ever found — and 90% of this material is controlled by The Natural History Museum. Now offered in this sale are two of the specimens recovered by Mr. Casey himself.

Winchcombe is a CM2 (Carbonaceous chondrite of the Mighei group best described as having small chondrules, CAIs and hydrated minerals in a fine grained carbon-rich, charcoal-hued matrix.) Many CM2s are also rich in prebiotic compounds and amino acids. Both Murchison and Cold Bokkeveld (see lots 26 and 31) are CM2s.

Stated Dr. Mark Sephton, an astrobiologist at London’s Imperial College, "The organic molecules in the [sample of Winchecombe] are older than the Earth itself, and similar molecules would have rained down on the early Earth before life emerged. They may represent the first chemical steps towards life in the early solar system, and could be the leftover ingredients from the recipe of life."

Indeed, like many CM2 meteorites, the presence of organic compounds has been detected in Winchcombe by the sense of smell, where at least one stone was described as having a 'compost-like' aroma.

As if Winchcombe wasn’t special enough, as a result of all of the camera angles of its descent, Winchcombe’s orbit around the sun has been precisely determined. Moreover, it evidences alteration from extraterrestrial water. Winchcombe is a breccia that contains both CM2 and CM1 lithologies — and CM1 meteorites are, apart from being the rarest variety known, among the most water-rich; they contain secondary minerals which only could have formed as a result of aqueous alteration. Like other CM2 meteorites (see lot 46), Winchcombe contains CAIs (calcium aluminum inclusions), the first materials to have formed in the solar nebula from which our solar system was created. CAIs are the oldest matter humankind can see and touch.

Perhaps the advent of Winchcombe can best be summed up by a quote in a National Geographic piece this past March. Said the typically composed cosmochemist, Professor Sara Russell, a renowned meteorite scholar and Lead Researcher at the Planetary Materials Group at the Natural History Museum in London, "We’ve all just gone bananas!"

This offering and that of lot 1 will be among the only opportunities to acquire a specimen of the Winchcombe meteorite that are larger than a speck.

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.

39 x 27 x 24mm (1.5 x 1 x 1in.) and 15.08g (75 carats)
Adresse de l'enchère CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
Royaume-Uni
Aperçu
09.02.2022 – 23.02.2022
Téléphone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
E-mail
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Commission see on Website
Conditions d'utilisationConditions d'utilisation

Termes connexes

Questions fréquemment posées

Pour participer aux ventes aux enchères, vous devez d’abord, vous inscrire. Après la confirmation de l’adresse e-mail, complétez votre profil d’utilisateur en fournissant des renseignements personnels tels que votre prénom, nom de famille et l’adresse postale. Choisissez un lot qui vous intéresse et indiquez le montant maximum que vous voulez offir pour ce lot. Dès que vous confirmez votre choix, nous transférerons votre demande par voie électronique à la maison de ventes aux enchères appropriée. Si votre demande est acceptée, votre offre va participer aux ventes aux enchères. Vous pouvez vérifier le statut actuel de votre offre en tout temps dans votre cabinet personnel VIL sous l’onglet «Vos offres».
Les enchères sont réalisées par les maisons de ventes et chacune des maisons de ventes décrit ses conditions de vente. Vous pouvez voir les textes dans la rubrique «Information sur les ventes».
Les résultats des ventes aux enchères sont publiés dans quelques jours après la clôture de l’enchère. En haut de la page du site web VIL, vous trouverez l’onglet «Enchères». Cliquez sur cet onglet et naviguez vers la page des catalogues de ventes aux enchères où vous trouverez facilement l’onglet « Résultats des ventes ». Sur cet onglet, sélectionnez l’enchère qui vous intéresse et consultez l’état de vente du lot de votre choix.
Les informations sur les gagnants des enchères sont confidentielles. Le gagnant de l'enchère recevra une notification directe de la maison d'enchères responsable avec des instructions pour les mesures à prendre: une facture de paiement et la manière dont les marchandises ont été reçues.
Chacune de maisons de ventes aux enchères adhère à sa propre politique concernant les modes de paiement des lots remportés. Toutes les maisons de ventes aux enchères acceptent les virements bancaires; la plupart d’elles acceptent les paiements par carte de crédit. Dans un avenir très proche, vous trouverez des renseignements détaillés sous la rubrique «Information sur les ventes», à la page du catalogue et du lot.
Le mode de livraison du lot dépend de sa taille et ses dimensions. Les petits articles peuvent être livrés par la poste. Les objets plus grands sont expédiés par courrier. Les préposés à la livraison des maisons de ventes aux enchères vous proposeront différentes options selon votre cas.
Non. Les archives servent de référence pour l'étude des prix des enchères, des photographies et des descriptions d'œuvres d'art.