On October 10, 2024, a group of falconry enthusiasts were searching for birds near the Libyan-Egyptian border when a brownish rock caught their attention. They collected it in the hope it was a meteorite and were thrilled when informed they found a piece of the Moon. They subsequently returned to site and recovered numerous additional specimens.

Metal flakes originating from an asteroid that impacted the lunar surface is in evidence in some samples of Ash Shaqqah 002, and its presence is fortuitous as it helped to reveal the most noteworthy feature of this meteorite: water-altered olivines in proximity to flakes of unoxidized metal suggests the olivine alteration is likely to have occurred on the Moon. Ash Shaqqah 002 is the first meteorite described as evidencing lunar water alteration.

Ash Shaqqah 002 originates from the lunar highlands. Its tan matrix on the cut and polished face is accented with vesicles and dark clasts. The reverse reveals the exterior of the meteorite from which this end cap was removed.

86 x 51 x 15mm (3.33 x 2 x 0.5 in.) and 92.2 grams (0.2 lbs)

Estimate: $4,000 – 5,000 * Reserve: $3,500