A fragment of the meteor which injured over 1,500 people when it exploded over a Russian town earlier this year is up for auction.

It was part of a small asteroid that entered the earth’s atmosphere at an estimated speed of 41,000 miles per hour, 50 times the speed of sound, on February 15.

The meteor exploded, creating thousands of small pieces of meteorite, 15 miles above the city of Chelyabinsk.

A factory was knocked down, windows blown in and 1,500 people injured by flying glass.

Rob Elliot, from Milton of Balgonie in Fife, is the owner of the UK’s largest private collection of space memorabilia.

He arranged for pieces of it to be smuggled out of the country and it is one of the only pieces of the Russian meteorite to have made it to the West.

‘The Russian government told the local residents that they would arrest anyone selling pieces of the meteorite overseas, so my contact had to disguise the airmail package and mix the meteorites with pieces of electronic equipment to hide them,’ said Elliott.

Although the package was opened by Russian customs and several meteorites confiscated, most of them made it to Mr Elliott.

The Chelyabinsk meteorite, lot 44 in the auction, weighing 27.1g, has been valued at £400 to £600.