A 12-POUND (5.5-kilogram) chunk of the moon that fell to Earth as a lunar meteorite has been sold at auction for more than US$600,000.

Boston-based RR Auction announced Friday the US$612,500 winning bid for the meteorite, composed of six fragments that fit together like a puzzle, came from a representative working with the Tam Chuc Pagoda complex in Ha Nam Province, Vietnam.

RR predicted it would get US$500,000 at auction.

The meteorite was found last year in a remote area of Mauritania in northwestern Africa.

It is considered one of the most significant lunar meteorites ever found because of its large size and because it has “partial fusion crust” caused by the tremendous heat that sears the rock as it falls to Earth.(SD-Agencies)