But that's what I'm doing at the offices of Christie's auction house in New York. Laid out in front of me are a series of rare meteorites, part of "Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and Other Rare Meteorites," Christie's annual online auction of extraterrestrial specimens. A Gibeon meteorite discovered in NamibiaTo be included in a Christie's auction, a meteorite needs to have what Hyslop dubs "the four S's": size, shape, science and story. But it's the shape of a specimen that he deems the most crucial factor when it comes to value. One lot , a large specimen found in Mexico, is a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite, comprising, Hyslop explains, "literally the oldest material that man's hand can hold and touch."

Source: CNN May 03, 2017 11:48 UTC