Canadian Doorbell Camera Captures Rare Meteorite Strike on Video
A meteorite's impact on a couple's walkway was caught on a security camera, offering a unique glimpse of space debris.
NEW YORK (AP) — A rare meteorite strike was captured on video by a Canadian home’s doorbell camera as it crashed onto the couple’s walkway, providing a fascinating and unusual look at a space rock's impact on Earth.
Laura Kelly and her partner were returning from an evening walk in July when they noticed their walkway covered in dust and strange debris. According to the Meteoritical Society, the couple checked their security camera footage and discovered a meteorite slamming into their entrance, creating a cloud of smoke accompanied by a crackling sound.
The pair promptly reported the unusual event to the University of Alberta’s Meteorite Reporting System. Chris Herd, a curator at the university, analyzed the samples of the debris and confirmed that it came from space.
Meteorites, which are fragments of space rock that survive their journey through Earth’s atmosphere, strike the planet daily. NASA estimates that approximately 48 tons (43,500 kilograms) of meteorite debris fall to Earth each day, but most of it lands in oceans rather than on land.
Meteorites also become visible in the night sky as shooting stars during meteor showers, which occur several times each year.
The footage from the doorbell camera is believed to be a first of its kind. While cameras have often captured meteors streaking across the sky, it is extremely rare for a video to capture both the meteorite’s strike and the accompanying sound.
The meteorite, officially registered this Monday, has been named Charlottetown, after the Canadian city on Prince Edward Island where it made contact with the ground.