Carbonaceous chondrite – CV3; Chihuahua, Mexico (26°58' N, 105°19' W)

Allende is the most studied meteorite in the world. Thousands of scientific papers have been written about the meteorite and its components. The sample now offered contains tiny pre-solar grains formed in the gaseous surroundings of dying stars long before the formation of our solar system 4.56 billion years ago. Also present in Allende are prominent white clasts, known as calcium-aluminum inclusions (CAIs) — among the first particulate matter to form in the solar nebula from which our solar system was born.

Allende fell to Earth on February 8, 1969 at 1:05 AM near Chihuahua, Mexico. Several new minerals have been discovered in Allende including the titanium oxide panguite named after the ancient Chinese god Pan Gu who separated yin from yang, the earth from the sky.

This complete slice of Allende is wrapped in an edge of fusion crust that formed during its fiery plunge through Earths’ atmosphere. The charcoal-hued matrix is filled with a galaxy of inclusions including CAIs. Nearly a centimeter in diameter at the upper right margin is an especially large CAI — the oldest matter mankind can touch. Modern cutting.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.

113 x 146 x 2mm (4.5 x 5.75 x 0.1 in.) and 114.9g (0.25 lbs)