A 5.5-kilogram (5.5-pound) piece of moon that fell on the ground was sold at an auction in the United States for more than $ 600,000.
The Boston-based auction house RR said the winning bid was $ 612,500 for the six-piece lunar meteoroid, which took the form of a jigsaw puzzle, and was representative of the Tam Chok Pagoda complex in Vietnam's Ha Nam province.
RR expected the lunar meteoroid to achieve $ 500,000 in the auction.
The lunar meteorite was found last year in a remote region of Mauritania in northwest Africa.
It is one of the most important lunar meteorites found due to its size and the presence of a "partially fused crust" caused by the tremendous heat that burned the rock when it fell to the ground.
