Martian meteorite that is the largest known piece of Mars found on Earth has sold for $5.3 million at Sotheby's, setting a new auction record for a meteorite.

The odds of this getting from there to here are astronomically small, Sotheby’s Cassandra Hatton said, as record-breaking Martian meteorite NWA 16788 is set to sell under the hammer in New York. Weighing in at 54 pounds,

A spirited 15-minute bidding war between online and phone participants ultimately landed the ultra-rare specimen with an anonymous buyer, far surpassing its initial estimate of $2-4 million.