Morocco now produces more meteorite discoveries than anywhere on Earth, with some Martian and lunar fragments selling for millions of dollars.

The government legalized meteorite exports in 2020, fueling a gold rush in remote regions where poor communities see it as vital economic opportunity.

While urban legends celebrate hunters who struck it rich and built hotels, most locals have not found a fortune.

When a fireball from space crashed into the rocky plains of southeast Morocco in September, Mohamed Benitjit topped up the credit on his mobile phone and packed a bag with a tiny magnet and a few clothes, ready to set off in search of meteorite fragments.

“I just need to know where it landed,” the 52-year-old merchant said in Enzala, a village at the foothills of the Atlas mountains. “I

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