Astronomy:Northwest Africa 11789

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Short description: Meteorite found in Mauritania
Northwest Africa 11789
ClassLunar meteorite
Parent bodyMoon
Compositionfeldspathic breccia
Shock stageS5 / S6
Weathering gradeW2
CountryMauritania
Observed fallNo
Fall datea few thousand years ago
Found date2017
TKW5.492 kg (12.11 lb)
Alternative namesBuagaba, The Moon Puzzle

NWA 11789 (also Buagaba) is a lunar meteorite that was found in the country of Mauritania. It has been broken into six fragments, which can be reassembled like a puzzle. For this reason, the meteorite is also known as The Moon Puzzle.[1]

Description

The six black pieces of the meteorite fit together to form a larger meteorite, weighing 5.5 kg (12 lb). The largest fragment weighs over 2 kg (4.4 lb), and the smallest weighs about 45 g (1.6 oz). The larger pieces show a black-brown partial fusion crust, caused by the heat generated as the meteorite descended through Earth's atmosphere. The large pieces also show thumb printing. Internally, the breccia is fragmented, with white clasts of feldspar set in a black ground mass.[2]

Ownership

From 2017–2018, the meteorite was held by meteorite curator Dustin Dickens[3], who purchased it from an anonymous meteorite hunter in Mauritania.[2]

An auction was held by Boston-based RR Auction in October 2018, with the opening bid at $50,000.[1] The auction closed on 19 October, with the winning bid of $612,500 awarded to Tam Chúc Pagoda complex, of Vietnam.[4]

See also

References