The largest piece of Mars on Earth became the most valuable meteorite ever sold at auction at Sotheby’s annual ”Geek Week,” and a full Ceratosaurus skeleton fetched $30 million. Next up for bidding: an Apple computer hand-built by Steve Jobs.

The auction of the largest piece of Mars on Earth exceeded Sotheby's expectations, fetching US$5.3 million.

Due to extreme temperatures and the dryness of Mars, it's thought to be impossible for liquid water to form on the planet's surface, a critical precondition for habitability. The only hope of finding liquid water appears to be in the form of brines,

"Dust devils themselves are difficult to capture in images because they are so short-lived," Ingrid Daubar, a planetary scientist at Brown University and lead author of the study, told Space.com by email. "The tracks they leave behind last longer, so we are able to observe them more thoroughly."

Oil major Exxon Mobil bought Mars crude for August delivery, two sources said on Wednesday, after briefly halting purchases of the flagship offshore grade due to a zinc contamination issue.

Still, some challenges need to be worked out for companies eying the unique manufacturing process. For SpaceX, its plans involve the Starship rocket, which has faced setbacks in recent months following its recent explosion on a test stand at its Texas facilities and previous launches similarly meeting a fiery end.

A 54-pound meteorite from Mars is expected to fetch up to $4 million when it goes up for auction later this month at Sotheby's.

Texas' attorney general said on Wednesday he has begun investigating Mars, which makes M&M's and Skittles candies, for its alleged refusal to remove synthetic food dyes from its products. Ken Paxton,