A rare astronomical event occurred in July last year when a meteorite struck the front walkway of Joe Velaidum’s home in Marshfield, Prince Edward Island. The impact was caught on camera by his home security system and has sparked excitement among scientists.
Velaidum, who happened to be outside at the time of the strike, narrowly escaped being injured. If he had lingered a few minutes longer, the meteorite would likely have crushed him. Fortunately, Velaidum’s timely departure allowed him to return home and discover the debris.
The security camera footage revealed a shocking mini explosion on Velaidum’s walkway, which prompted his friend to suggest that the object could be a meteorite. After collecting samples of the debris, some were sent to Chris Herd, curator of the University of Alberta’s meteorite collection. Herd confirmed that the samples came from an ordinary chondrite, a common type of space rock.
The meteorite, named the Charlottetown Meteorite, is believed to have originated from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It entered Earth’s atmosphere traveling at approximately 60,000 km/h before slowing down to impact. Analysis revealed that it was traveling at least 200 km/h by the time of impact.
This incident marks a rare occurrence – the first recorded audio and visual evidence of a meteorite’s strike with a man-made object. The discovery also highlights the unpredictability of space weather events, which can affect people’s lives in unexpected ways.
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-charlottetown-meteorite-strike-first-audio-1.7430018