"LINCOLN, Neb. - For anyone who's ever wanted a souvenir from Mars without the hassles of traveling there, here's their chance.
A Lincoln company is auctioning off part of the famous Mars meteorite Zagami, which fell to Earth Oct. 3, 1962, in central Nigeria.
Bids for the fragment, which weighs about 6.6 ounces and is about the size of a soda can, begin at $450,000 when the online auction starts Sept. 5 on the Internet site eBay.
It is the largest known fragment from the meteorite, said Sell2All, the Lincoln company coordinating the auction for a private individual.
The meteorite, which the company said was authenticated two years ago, was displayed for several years at Nigeria's Kaduna Museum.
One side of it is cut to display the natural layers.
The other side was left natural, and shows the effects of the burning and melting it experienced as it flew through Earth's atmosphere. "