Einstein Notes with Sketches of Relativity Theory Sold in Paris Auction for $13 Mln

The document is a 54-page manuscript written by Einstein and his partner, the Swiss physicist Michele Besso (AFP)
The document is a 54-page manuscript written by Einstein and his partner, the Swiss physicist Michele Besso (AFP)
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Einstein Notes with Sketches of Relativity Theory Sold in Paris Auction for $13 Mln

The document is a 54-page manuscript written by Einstein and his partner, the Swiss physicist Michele Besso (AFP)
The document is a 54-page manuscript written by Einstein and his partner, the Swiss physicist Michele Besso (AFP)

A manuscript co-authored by Albert Einstein, offering a rare insight into the legendary physicist's thinking leading up to his general theory of relativity, was sold in an auction on Tuesday for 11.7 million euros ($13.17 million).

Auction house Christie's had estimated the value of the manuscript at between 2million and 3 million euros, Reuters said.

The 54 pages of paper, around half filled with Einstein's handwriting, are one of only two working documents known in which the thinker approaches his famous theory that laid the groundwork for modern cosmology and technology such as GPS navigation.

They had been kept in the custody of the Swiss physicist Michele Besso, a close friend and academic partner of Einstein's, who co-authored the work between 1913 and 1914.

"That's also what makes it particularly important given that working documents by Einstein before 1919 are extremely rare," said Vincent Belloy, an expert at Christie's who hosted the auction in Paris.

"Einstein is someone who kept very few notes, so the mere fact that the manuscript survived and made its way to us already makes it absolutely extraordinary," he added.

Made up mainly of endless calculations in black ink on wrinkled, lightly yellowed paper, the manuscript challenges Einstein's popular image as an absolute genius, because it shows that even he - at least sometimes - made mistakes.

"Einstein makes errors in this manuscript, and that I think makes it even greater in a way, because we see the persistence, the thought that was in the process of being built, that is being corrected and redirected," Belloy said.

In May, a handwritten letter in which Einstein mentioned his famous E=mc² equation, a part of his earlier theory of special relativity, was sold at roughly one million euros in the United States, more than three times its estimated price.

With his general theory of relativity that was published in 1915, Einstein revolutionized modern physics when he first described gravitation as a geometric warping of space and time, a finding that remains valid.

Christie's did not reveal the name of the buyer.



Many Flights to Indonesia’s Bali Cancelled after Volcano Eruption 

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 
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Many Flights to Indonesia’s Bali Cancelled after Volcano Eruption 

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 

Several flights to the Indonesian resort island of Bali were cancelled or delayed and the airport in Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara province was closed due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, officials said on Wednesday.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, which is in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11 km (6.84 miles) high, forcing the country's volcanology agency to raise the alert level to the highest.

It erupted again on Wednesday morning, belching a 1 km (0.62 mile) high ash cloud, the agency said in a statement.

Several international flights from India, Singapore and Australia to Bali were cancelled due to the eruption, the Bali international airport website showed. Singapore Airlines cancelled four flights between Bali's Denpasar airport and Singapore, and its budget subsidiary Scoot cancelled flights to Bali and the neighboring island Lombok, the airlines said.

Qantas' low-cost carrier JetStar cancelled several morning flights to Bali from Australia and expects afternoon flights to be delayed.

"Forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight," JetStar said in a midday travel bulletin.

The government closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere from Wednesday until Thursday "to ensure the safety of the passengers," said the airport operator AirNav in its Instagram post.

The eruption also forced local authorities to evacuate dozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano, Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency told Reuters.

"Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand," she said, adding no casualties were reported.

The volcano last erupted in May.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.