Is this the first time we got audio of a meteorite hitting the surface? Caught on a doorbell camera.https://t.co/G0Nzhm2Q6Z
Thanks to Roy MacLellan for the tip— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) January 14, 2025
Joe Velaidum and his wife Laura had just left their home in Prince Edward Island, Canada to take their dog for a walk when a meteorite crashed to Earth near their front door. The incident, which took place on July 25, 2024, was captured by Velaidum’s Ring doorbell camera, showing the meteorite darting to the ground and exploding. This marks the first time both the sight and sound of a meteorite impact have been recorded.
Velaidum’s in-laws, who live nearby, heard a “large bang” while the couple was out walking the dogs. Upon returning home, they discovered “star-shaped” fragments scattered on the sidewalk.
A Canadian man narrowly avoided being struck by a meteorite that crashed into the walkway outside his home.
The offending space rock has since been bagged & tagged.https://t.co/DSPr2pYTUy #meteorite pic.twitter.com/CCYORnHJAK— Corey S. Powell (@coreyspowell) January 16, 2025
Initially skeptical, Velaidum checked the video footage and saw that something had hit with tremendous force exactly where he had been standing just minutes earlier.
He then contacted Chris Herd, a meteor specialist from the University of Alberta. Herd confirmed that the fragments sent by Velaidum were indeed from a meteorite.
A doorbell camera has captured the moment a meteorite struck the ground outside a home, scattering dust and producing audible impact sounds—a historic first.
[📹 Laura Kelly]
[📍 Prince Edward Island, Canada]pic.twitter.com/0sl5qiErdt— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 16, 2025
“It is surreal to think about just how rare and close this encounter was,” Velaidum says, reflecting that if he had stayed in that spot just a minute or two longer, he would have “certainly” been hit by the meteor and likely been killed.
An amazing video of a meteorite (Charlottetown) impacting the Earth's surface and making a sound akin to shattering glass — recorded landing here in Canada in 2024!
It is amazing to see space science in action! https://t.co/c7c2vhFDKP
— Dr. Tara Hayden, PhD 👩🚀 (@MiniMoonRocks) January 14, 2025
Meteorite caught by doorbell camera
The “Charlottetown Meteorite,” as it has been named, was found to be composed of ordinary chondrite, the type of space rock that most commonly strikes Earth. Herd believes this is the first time both the sights and sounds of a meteorite impacting the ground have been captured on video.
“It’s not anything we’ve ever heard before. From a science perspective, it’s new,” he comments. After analyzing the 95 grams of fragments recovered from the impact site, Herd concluded that the meteorite originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
“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,” Herd says. This extraordinary capture by the Ring doorbell camera underscores the random and unpredictable nature of astronomical events and contributes valuable information to the scientific community.
It also highlights the incredible luck and timing that allowed Velaidum to narrowly escape a potentially fatal encounter with a meteorite.
Cameron is a highly regarded contributor in the rapidly evolving fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. His articles delve into the theoretical underpinnings of AI, the practical applications of machine learning across industries, ethical considerations of autonomous systems, and the societal impacts of these disruptive technologies.
