A meteorite now named Charlottetown Meteorite crashed into a walkway in Marshfield, Prince Edward Island, Canada, in July 2024. The incident was the first time in recorded history that both the impact and sound of a meteorite strike were captured on camera.
A meteorite impact was captured on a home security camera in Marshfield, Prince Edward Island, Canada, in July 2024, making it the first recorded instance in history where both the impact and its sound were documented. The meteorite crashed into the walkway just minutes after homeowner Joe Velaidum had stepped away.
Scientists later confirmed the space rock’s origin and provided data on its composition and velocity.
The object is estimated to have entered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 60 000 km/h (37 280 mph) before slowing to terminal velocity. It likely traveled at least 200 km/h (124 mph) when it impacted the ground.
Chris Herd, a meteorite expert and curator of the meteorite collection at the University of Alberta, confirmed that the object was a meteorite after analyzing the collected fragments.
The meteorite fall, the first to be documented in Prince Edward Island, is scientifically significant as it provides researchers with rare acoustic data on meteorite strikes, according to Herd.
“It’s not anything we’ve ever heard before. From a science perspective, it’s new,” Herd told CBC News.
Herd, who was visiting Prince Edward Island at the time, collected samples and confirmed that the meteorite was an ordinary chondrite, a common type composed mostly of silicates.
The rocks are believed to originate from the breakup of asteroids in the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter with some debris dating back over 40 million years.
Reference:
1 Sound and video of meteorite crashing to Earth captured on video in P.E.I. – CTV NEWS – January 14, 2025
2 P.E.I. homeowner captures sound and video of meteorite strike on camera, and scientists believe it’s a first – CBC – January 14, 2025
Featured Image: The site of the meteorite impact. Credit: Laura Kelly
Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.