Data transmitted from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft identified the asteroid Vesta as the source of three different groups of meteorites found on Earth: eucrites from near the surface of Vesta, diogenites from greater depths, and howardites which are a mixture of the two.

This is a complete slice of eucrite — a specimen from the surface of Vesta, the second largest asteroid in our solar system and the only one that can be seen with the naked eye. Vesta is considered a protoplanet because it has a crust, mantle and core. Protoplanets were common in the early solar system, but all except Vesta were destroyed by collisions; their remnants constitute much of the asteroid belt. (See next lot for larger specimen of Vesta.)

More specifically, NWA 15658 is a eucrite melt breccia; it is the result of the melting of two different eucritic lithologies. Large basaltic clasts and small mineral fragments are suspended in a dark matrix of shock-melt — the result of another asteroid impacting Vesta’s surface.

Less than 10% of all eucrites are classified as eucrite melt breccias. NWA 15658 is a single meteorite which weighed six kilograms. Now presented is an opportunity to obtain a fascinating slice of a meteorite that will forever be rarely available from Vesta, the only asteroid that can be seen with the naked eye.

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.
140 x 121 x 2mm (5.5 x 4.75 x 0.1 in.) and 117 grams