Doorbell Camera Captures The Incredible Sight & Sound Of A Meteorite Crashing Into Earth

It’s safe to say that Joe Velaidum’s doorbell camera has proven to be a worthwhile investment… but not in the way he ever would have expected. One day, he was getting ready to take his dogs for a walk. This is something he does often. But on this particular day, he narrowly avoided getting hit by a meteorite. He knew this to be true for two reasons.

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First, when he got back home, he noticed unusual powder near his front door. Second, he investigated this mystery with the use of his doorbell camera. The footage it captured revealed the very moment a meteorite crash-landed on his sidewalk. To say that Joe was stunned would be an understatement! The image below shows the aftermath of the meteorite crash.

“The shocking thing for me is that I was standing right there a couple of minutes right before this impact,” Joe explains. “If I’d have seen it, I probably would’ve been standing right there, so it probably would’ve ripped me in half.”

When Joe told a friend about this once-in-a-lifetime moment, he advised him to collect samples of the debris. In doing so, Joe was able to send about seven grams’ worth to Chris Herd, the meteorite collection curator at the University of Alberta.

This expert was able to confirm that what fell to Earth was, in fact, a meteorite. He was also able to share why this moment being captured on camera is so special. From the research he has done, this seems to be the first time that both sight and sound have been captured of a meteorite’s crash landing on Earth.

Needless to say, Joe still can’t believe something like happened at all, much less to him. After all, what are the odds that a meteorite would perfectly land at the doorstep of someone with the right equipment to capture the moment?

“How does one interpret that,” Joe shares, “except… with wonder and with awe?”

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!