(CLO) A family's doorbell camera recorded the entire moment a meteorite crashed in front of a house in Canada.
A peaceful afternoon on Prince Edward Island, Canada, turned into a memorable event when a meteorite almost hit Joe Velaidum. The family’s Ring doorbell camera captured the entire moment the meteorite hit the exact spot where Velaidum had been standing just minutes before.
"If I had been there two minutes longer, I would have definitely been hit (by the meteorite) and probably killed," Velaidum recalled of the event that occurred in July 2024.
Video captures rare moment meteorite falls on house in Canada:
X [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKFc3Np2VUw[/embed]
After months of laboratory analysis, the object was confirmed to be a space rock and officially cataloged in a database maintained by the nonprofit Meteorite Society.
The specimen, dubbed “Charlottetown” after the nearby city, is notable for the accompanying video, which was released by the University of Alberta last week. The footage is remarkable because the incident was recorded at very close range and includes audio, according to Dr. Chris Herd, a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at the University of Alberta in Canada.
According to Dr. Chris Herd, who collected the sample, the Charlottetown meteorite is a special find not only because it is the first confirmed meteorite to fall on Prince Edward Island, but also because the video could provide important information about the meteorite's properties.
"We are analyzing the video and audio to learn more about the speed and physical properties of this rock," said Herd, explaining that the black crust covering the meteorite was the result of it plunging into Earth's atmosphere at more than 72,000 km/h.
A sample of the "Charlottetown" meteorite photographed in a lab at the University of Alberta. Photo: Chris Herd
The University of Alberta's online meteorite reporting system receives dozens of reports each week, but less than 0.1% of them are actually meteorites, making the event all the more rare and noteworthy.
Initially, Velaidum and his partner Laura Kelly thought the object had fallen from a roof or an airplane. However, Kelly's father encouraged them to collect a sample for testing. With the help of a magnet and vacuum cleaner, they collected pieces weighing 95 grams.
When he sent photos of the specimen to the University of Alberta, Herd immediately recognized it as a real meteorite. He explained that meteorites like Charlottetown, which are “common chondrites,” typically originate from fragments of asteroids that fell between Mars and Jupiter.
“This meteorite fell to Earth at 5:02 p.m. on July 25,” Herd said. “It could have been drifting through space for millions, if not tens of millions, of years before it got here.”
The Charlottetown meteorite is now part of the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection, which houses more than 1,800 specimens. Space rocks like this one offer an opportunity to learn more about the history of the universe.
The location of the meteorite crash. Photo: Chris Herd
Herd emphasizes that meteorites are the oldest specimens we have access to. While the Earth's surface is constantly changing due to geological processes, these meteorites have remained as they were since the early days of the Solar System, 4.5 billion years ago.
The meteorite event was also filled with strange coincidences. In addition to his lucky escape, Velaidum – a professor who studies the meaning of life – also shared his thoughts on the vastness of the universe. “We discussed how vast the universe is and how our existence seems small in that context,” he said.
Although classified as "common," the Charlottetown meteorite still carries a unique story, demonstrating the wonder and mystery of the universe.
Ngoc Anh (according to CNN, Guardian)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/camera-ghi-lai-canh-thien-thach-roi-xuong-ngoi-nha-o-canada-post331654.html
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