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7.07 gram slice. 32 x 41 x 2 mm.   L6

TKW 1050 grams. Fall not observed. Found 26 May 1982, Baijia, Naiman County, Inner Mongolia, China.


 

Darryl writes:

Depending upon the era and culture, meteorites have been venerated or considered ill omens. In Japan, meteorites are considered sacred and many historic specimens have been ensconced in Buddhist shrines. The Nogata fall of May 19, 861 — the oldest witnessed fall — was simply accepted for what it was: a rock that fell out of the sky. And yet many centuries later in parts of Europe, one could risk execution for heresy if they attested to a rock falling out of the sky. Sometimes it was best to not say what you’ve seen. All of which brings us to the Naiman meteorite of China. The fellow who found the single 1050g mass, reported that he simply happened to stumble upon the meteorite in a forest on May 26, 1982. When the meteorite was conveyed to the Purple Mountain Observatory in China, it was so pristine it looked like it had fallen yesterday. As Dr. Wang Sichao of the Purple Mountain Observatory and Alan Rubin of UCLA believe, the “simple” explanation is probably not so simple. The finder most likely didn't happen to notice this black rock jump out at him from the other detritus on a forest floor — he saw it fall and was afraid to admit it.

Offered at no reserve, this complete slice features a long arc whose rim is 99% covered with fusion crust. The bottom edge exhibits the meteorite’s broken face. This is a rare example of a meteorite that only graces a handful of collections.

View the Catalog for Christie's Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and Other Rare Meteorites