The fall of a meteorite captured on video in Prince Edward Island – Portail des Îles de la Madeleine

In Prince Edward Island, the impact of a meteorite called “Charlottetown” was captured on surveillance video this summer. This is the first time that an event of this kind has been filmed in the Atlantic provinces, according to two experts.

On July 25, the couple, Joe Velaidum and Laura Kelly, went out to walk their dog in their neighborhood of Marshville, near Charlottetown.

When they return home, fifteen minutes later, a surprise awaits them. The driveway was a complete disaster. There was black debris everywhere. The first thing I thought was that something had fallen from the roofsays Joe Velaidum.

Laura’s parents, who live in the house next door, do not have the same opinion. They heard a crashing noise and are convinced it is a meteorite.

The family then decides to watch the video captured by their surveillance camera.

We were pretty skeptical because we didn’t really think it could have been that, but in the end, it was.says Joe Velaidus.

Marshfield, Prince Edward Island, July 25, 2024.

In addition to the debris left on the ground, a 2 cm mark is left on the spot on the ground where the impact took place.

What was most shocking to me was seeing that I was standing in the same place exactly two minutes before impact.

I never stand in that exact spot normally, but that day we were expecting a visit from a landscaper later and the dog’s leash was dragging so I was there trying to move the leashhe said. It almost cost me my life.

Finally convinced it wasn’t a roof problem and after searching the internet, the couple decided to send their video to the University of Alberta Meteor Reporting System.

Baptized Charlottetown

The missive reached Chris Herdcurator of the meteorite collection at the University of Alberta and professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta

When I opened my emails, I said to myself: “What the hell is this! »he shares. No other meteorite fall has ever been documented like this, with sound added.

When Chris Herd realized that the video came from Prince Edward Island, he immediately contacted the couple to find out if there were photos of samples taken from the ground. He received them shortly after.

This is where I was able to confirm what I suspected from the video, that it was indeed a meteorite.

By chance, Chris Herd and his family had been planning a family vacation in Canada’s smallest province for the month of August for a year. Ten days after the impact of the meteorite at home, the expert went to the site himself, accompanied by his family.

We took photos and observed the samples they had collected and we were able to take some of them back with ushe said.

The meteorite was identified as a chondrite. This is the most common type of meteorite, which comes from small asteroids.

A total of 95 grams of debris were collected after its fall. It’s probably the size of half a fist.this Chris Herd.

The professor wants to continue his research to find out what the size of the rock was before it shattered. I believe this rock was just very small and no other pieces existhe says.

The 2 cm mark where the impact took place. Photo: Courtesy: Laura Kelly

The team of Chris Herd also took care of the official submission to name the meteorite. Although discovered in Marshfield, it was named Charlottetown.

Marshfield was the name considered, but one has already fallen into a town with the same name in the United States […] We needed a unique nameexplain Chris Herd.

A first

Chris Herd suggests that this is the first time that an event of this type has been recorded in the Atlantic provinces.

Astrophysicist and professor in the physics and astronomy department at the University of Moncton Francis LeBlanc confirms his statements. There are many meteorites that fall on Earth, but often they are in the ocean or far from populations. So, it’s rather rare that there are meteorites that we see fallinghe said.

We are more used to seeing fireballs in the sky at night and even then, it is rare. So to have an incident happen in broad daylight and capture it on camera is extremely rare.

It is the combination of video and sound [qui rend l’événement unique]continues Chris Herd. The sound is truly remarkable. It’s like ice shattering.

The scientist also wondered why this chondrite had exploded on the ground. In other cases, it happened that they broke through a roof and yet remained intacthe said.

His hypothesis is that the meteorite was already fractured before arriving on the earth’s surface. She was barely holding on as she flew through the atmosphere and hit their driveway.he said.

Meteorite fragments. In the University of Alberta’s meteorite collection, the largest collection in the country, the Charlottetown fragments are now the only ones from the Atlantic provinces. Photo: University of Alberta Meteorite Collection

For his part, Joe Velaidum is not about to forget what happened in his backyard on July 25, 2024.

This thing has traveled millions and millions of miles and is so old that we can’t even estimate its age. It entered the atmosphere of a small planet we call Earth, and then came to our small island […] then on our doorstep, exactly where I was standing, a few minutes before. For me, that’s the most surprising thingmarvels Joe Velaidum.

The couple kept some fragments of the meteorite as souvenirs and donated the others to the University of Alberta. They will be used for research and teaching.

HEADLINE: The dust left on the ground after the meteorite debris was first collected. Photo: Courtesy: Laura Kelly

BY Pascale Savoie-Brideau