On October 10, 2024, a group of falconry enthusiasts were searching for birds north of the Jaghbub Oasis on the Libyan-Egyptian border when an unusual brownish rock on the roadside caught their attention. They took it with them in the hope it might be a meteorite and were later thrilled when informed they found a piece of the Moon.

The falconers quickly returned to the site, now with their families, and painstakingly gridded the strewn field. Through November numerous masses were recovered including many that weigh in excess of 10 kilograms. In December the largest mass was found, and weighing 57.4 kilograms, it is the second largest piece of the Moon on Earth.

Ash Shaqqah 002 meteorites are primarily comprised of anorthitic plagioclase along with olivine and low-calcium pyroxene. Coarse anorthite grains dominate; most of the olivine grains are sub-millimeter in size. Shock vugs and vesicles are ubiquitous and plagioclase crystals are seen lining some vesicle walls. The narrow ranges in the compositions of olivine and pyroxene of this breccia reflect a pre-brecciation, plutonic lithology, (i.e., this formed deeply below the Moon’s surface).

Metal originating from an asteroid that impacted the lunar surface is in evidence, and its presence is most fortuitous as it helped to illustrate the most noteworthy feature of this meteorite: orange-hued, water-altered olivines were observed within a number of multiphase clasts (see detail image), but the proximity of these altered clasts to flakes of fresh, unoxidized metal, suggests the olivine alteration is likely to have occurred on the Moon, i.e., it is not related to weathering on Earth. Ash Shaqqah 002 is the first meteorite with such a documented legacy.

This specimen was first analyzed by Dr. Carl Agee, Director of the Institute of Meteoritics and among the world’s most renowned classifiers of lunar and Martian samples. Ash Shaqqah 002 specimens originate from the lunar highlands. This complete slice is rimmed by the meteorite’s natural external surface and is highly polished on one face. Its tan matrix is embellished by a half inch clast evidencing the water-altered olivine grains. An important new meteorite, this is the first public offering of Ash Shaqqah 002; anticipate far more research being done on specimens of Ash Shaqqah 002 in the near future. Modern cutting.

The analysis of this meteorite was led by Dr. Carl Agee, whose findings underwent peer review by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society. The analysis and classification were published in the 114th edition of the Meteoritical Bulletin, the official registry of meteorites.

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.

78 x 50 x 3mm (3 x 2 x 0.1 in.) and 21 grams