Footage from a doorbell camera has documented the remarkable first recorded sound of a meteorite striking Earth, as it impacted a home in Canada.
Though initially designed for home security, doorbell cameras sometimes capture extraordinary events.
A couple residing in Prince Edward Island, Canada, witnessed this firsthand when their doorbell camera recorded the striking sound of a meteorite hitting their house on July 25 last year.
Joe and Laura Velaidum discovered a layer of grey dust outside their house on a summer day, which they found quite perplexing.
Reviewing the security footage, they were astonished to see a video clip seemingly showing a rock tumbling from the sky and landing near their home. Check it out here:
Intrigued by their find, Joe and Laura collected samples of the rock and sent them to the University of Alberta for analysis.
Chris Herd, the curator of the university’s meteorite collection, was able to identify the rock’s origin.
In thrilling news for space enthusiasts, Herd confirmed the samples were indeed extraterrestrial.
“As the first and only meteorite from the province of Prince Edward Island, the Charlottetown Meteorite sure announced its arrival in a spectacular way,” Herd told CBC.
“No other meteorite fall has been documented like this, complete with sound. It adds a whole new dimension to the natural history of the Island.”
The expert commented: “It’s really awesome. It’s actually the first and only meteorite ever found on the Island, and what a way to make that discovery.
“Every time that this happens, it’s a new sample from space. It’s from the asteroid belt… between Mars and Jupiter, so it’s come a long way.”
Herd shared with CBC that meteorites generally travel at speeds of up to 60,000 km/h (37,280 mph) before decelerating upon reaching populated areas.
This suggests the rock likely impacted the ground at around 200 km/h (124 mph).
Given such velocities, a meteorite could be deadly upon impact, and Joe narrowly avoided disaster.
Moments before the meteorite hit, Joe had been in the very spot it landed after taking the dogs for a walk.