This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd
Christie Manson & Woods Ltd
8 King Street, St. James's, London, SW1Y 6QT, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 2869
Brought to you by
Lot Essay
This is a distinguished meteorite from the Sikhote-Alin event—the largest meteorite shower of the last several thousand years. Its journey began 320 million years ago, when a giant iron mass broke-off from its parent body in the asteroid belt and wandered through interplanetary space until it encountered Earth on 12 February 1947. When it slammed into the atmosphere it began to break apart, and then created a fireball brighter than the Sun as it sailed over the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in eastern Siberia. The shockwaves from the low altitude explosion of the main mass collapsed chimneys, shattered windows and uprooted trees. A 33 kilometer long smoke trail in the sky persisted for several hours, and many of the resulting meteorites produced impact craters as large as 26 meters—with nearly 200 craters having been catalogued. A famous painting of the event by artist and eye-witness P. I. Medvedev was reproduced as a postage stamp issued by the Soviet government in 1957 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of an event that observers likened to what was seemingly the end of the world. This is a fine example of a meteorite from an historic event, the largest meteorite shower of the modern era.
Related Articles
Sorry, we are unable to display this content. Please check your connection.
You have agreed to be bound by the Conditions of Sale and if your bid is successful, you are legally obliged to pay for the lot you have won. The purchase price for a successful bid will be the sum of your final bid plus a buyer’s premium, any applicable taxes and any artist resale royalty, exclusive of shipping-related expenses.
Condition report
A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.
The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.