The footage marks the first known recording of the sound of a meteorite strike.
Last year, a Canadian couple's doorbell cam allowed the world to witness a historic moment. A meteorite fell to Earth. Okay, well, that happens all the time. Thousands of meteorites fall to Earth every year. Most of them burn up before hitting the ground; only 500 or so actually crash land on Earth's surface.
It was bound to happen sooner or later, but finally, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, in July 2024, one of those estimated 500 meteorites hit the Earth's surface and was captured on video, by someone's front yard Ring camera, no less.
Even more impressive than finally getting video of a meteorite smacking the ground, Geologist Chris Herd from the University of Alberta, who analyzed the fragments and released his findings this week, believes this may be the first time anyone has recorded the sound of a meteorite's fall.
That loud THWACK you heard in the video above as the meteorite smacked the driveway pavement is the sweet, sweet THWACK of scientific discovery.
The home is owned by Joe Velaidum and Laura Kelly, who unwittingly recorded a momentous astronomical moment. They were out walking their dog at the time when a little piece of space crashed into their front yard. Arriving home, they thought something had fallen from their roof, scattering dust across their walkway.
As they began to sweep the dust away, however, Kelly's parents said they heard a loud bang from their home nearby, and even suggested it might've been a meteorite.
Upon further inspection, the couple found the guess was correct, discovering fragments of the meteorite in the grass and even a tiny crater measuring only 2 cm wide. Crater is a strong word. "Barely visible white mark" is probably more accurate.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the meteorite is nothing special, being the most common type that plummets to Earth on a daily basis. But even the most common meteorite is still special. They do have some significance for scientists here on Earth, as they allow us to learn a little bit more about the types of materials floating around in space during the formation of our solar system.