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Sound, video of meteorite hitting Earth recorded together for the ‘first time': ‘It probably would've ripped me in half'

Scientists were in awe of the incident, claiming it was the first time the sound and footage of a meteorite strike were captured together.

Published on: Jan 18, 2025, 07:00:38 IST
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In an incredible and miraculous moment, a Canadian man ended up with footage and sound of a meteorite hitting Earth. According to CBC News, scientists think this is the first time the video and sound have been recorded together. The man, Joe Velaidum, revealed he was standing at the exact spot of impact a few minutes before the space rock hit the ground.

The image shows the impact site where the meteorite landed. (Laura Kelly)
The image shows the impact site where the meteorite landed. (Laura Kelly)

"The shocking thing for me is that I was standing right there a couple of minutes right before this impact," Velaidum told the outlet. "If I'd have seen it, I probably would've been standing right there, so it probably would've ripped me in half,” he added.

Also Read: Asteroid illuminates the night sky with dazzling flash before landing in Russia’s Yakutia. Watch

“Skeptical at first”

“My father thought it could be a meteorite and sent us a link to the University of Alberta's Meteorite Reporting System,” Joe Velaidum’s daughter, Laura Kelly, told the University of Alberta. “I'll admit, we were skeptical at first,” she added.

“We are now in awe that a piece of ancient interstellar space could travel millions of miles and land, literally, on our doorstep,” she later expressed.

The video of the impact, along with the sound, was captured by Velaidum's doorbell camera.

Expert’s opinion:

The University of Alberta, upon investigation, discovered that the newly named Charlottetown Meteorite is an ordinary chondrite. However, this information was far from ordinary from a scientific point of view.

“As the first and only meteorite from the province of PEI, and possibly the Maritimes, the Charlottetown Meteorite announced its arrival in a spectacular way. No other meteorite fall has been documented like this,” Chris Herd, geologist and professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said.

Also Read: Pitch black sky turns blue in Spain and Portugal as meteor crosses, netizens share videos

“As far as we know — it is the first time that a meteorite falling to Earth has been recorded on video, with sound. It adds a whole new dimension to the natural history of the Island,” he added.

Coincidentally, Herd had planned a family trip to Prince Edward, where the meteorite landed, 10 days after the impact. He took help from family members to document the meteorite fragments.

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More

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