Three years ago, a meteorite crashed through the roof of a dog house after it was bid on at an auction.
The rusty, corrugated tin shelter, with a gaping seven-inch hole on top, went for $44,100 earlier this week, more than double the amount sold by the extraterrestrial rock that blasted through it. An auction lot that was billed as the third-largest Martian rock on Earth and valued at up to $800,000 failed to find a buyer.
The dog house's sale may reveal something about what drives private collectors to possess rare objects that fall to Earth from outer space. Beyond their ancient ages and the distance they have traveled, there is a notion of a close call: Something unexpected and otherworldly fell from the sky, and in doing so, showed its potential for destruction.
The reminder of power is more valuable than the rubble.
"It's incredibly unlikely for [a meteorite] to actually hit something that's in our day-to-day lives."
James Hyslop, head of scientific instruments, globes, and natural history at Christie's, says that it is very unlikely that a meteorite will hit something in our day-to-day lives.
The story behind the dog house started at 9:07 pm on April 23, according to the record in the meteorites publication. There was a meteorite shower in Costa Rica. The fireball was captured by cameras at the summits. A chunk weighing close to two-thirds of a pound crashed into a German shepherd's abode. His name was Rhyy.
The trajectory of the meteorite was determined by reviewing four security videos and dash cam cameras.
Roky was in better shape than his house.
Roky, a German Shepherd in Costa Rica, wasn't injured by a meteorite that crashed into his dog house in 2019. Credit: Christie's
Appraising these objects at an auction has more to do with a gut feeling. The meteorite-dented mailbox from Georgia that sold for $83,000 in 2007, was the only data Christie's had to guide it.
An exhibition of meteorites was held in Paris a few years ago. The Chevy Malibu that was hit by the Peekskill meteorite was in a glass box.
He thought that was a great bit of theater. The extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an asteroid that crashed into Earth. The impact of a meteorite is part of the story.
"I just thought that was such a great bit of theater."
A meteorite struck a Chevy Malibu in 1992. Credit: Ingo Wagner dpa / Picture Alliance / Getty Images
Over 70 percent of the planet is covered by the ocean and scientists estimate that there are about 48.5 tons of billions of years old meteorites that rain down on the planet every day.
Over 60,000 meteorites have been discovered. According to NASA, the majority of asteroids come from asteroids, but a small portion come from Mars or the moon. There are at least 126 that have been identified as coming from the Red Planet.
The owner of meteorites must give a large portion of it to an internationally authorized museum in order for it to be formally documented. The piece will be cut off to preserve it for future research.
"The impact that a meteorite has is a part of the story."
An "Aguas Zarcas" space rock that smashed into a dog house sold at auction for $21,420 on Feb. 23, 2022. Credit: Christie's
The piece of rock that was auctioned weighed half as much as the one in the Bulletin. The meteorite is covered in a fusion crust due to its fiery descent. It crashed through the tin roof and has a reddish-brown streak on its front face. The meteorite sold for $21,420.
When he saw the Costa Rican crash remnants in the gallery, he thought it was an art installation.
He said that it fits nicely with some very cool contemporary artworks of the moment.
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