Campo del Cielo (“Field of the Sky”) meteorites are the result of a cataclysmic collision between two asteroids. An enormously energetic impact on the Campo parent body blasted a large metal-rich mass into interplanetary space. When one large fragment later struck Earth’s upper atmosphere about 4,000 years ago, the result was the explosive fragmentation into thousands of meteorites. The larger meteorites struck the ground at such a high velocity that an array of at least 26 impact craters formed, the largest measuring a football field in diameter. This somewhat smaller meteorite is the “heart” of the matter. This palm-sized meteorite originates from an asteroid that prowled our solar system between Jupiter and Mars.

A graphite patina with ochre accents shrouds the meteorite’s smooth surface, the result of its multi-millennial exposure to Earth’s elements. Spanish Conquistadors in Argentina were the first to document Campo del Cielo meteorites in the 16th Century, but never contemplated thoughts of extraterrestrial origin — a notion first seriously considered hundreds of years later.

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.

59 x 61 x 37mm (2.33 x 2.5 x 1.5 in.) and 289.8g (0.66 lbs)