Fascinating Northwest Africa (NWA) 11288 Martian (shergottite) meteorite slice, exhibiting vugs (cavities) and shock melt. The partial polished slice weighs 3.7 grams and measures approximately 46 mm x 24 mm x 1.2 mm. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Geoff Notkin of Aerolite Meteorites Inc. and the TV show Meteorite Men, as well as a specimen identification card. NWA 11288 is an actual piece of Mars, found in five pieces in Northwest Africa and acquired in 2015, with a total known weight of only 407 grams—less than a pound. Pieces of the 'red planet' are extremely rare and highly desirable—of approximately 61,000 meteorites that have been found on Earth, less than 200 have been identified as shergottite, or Martian. The class takes its name from the Shergotty meteorite that fell in India in 1865. This specimen is extremely unusual in that is shows vugs, or cavities—the first known Martian meteorites were identified by the small pockets of Martian atmosphere they contained within their vugs. It is possible that the large vugs in NWA 11288 once held within them the thin and alien atmosphere of Mars.
