Joe Velaidum, a resident of Marshfield, Prince Edward Island, Canada, witnessed a unique event: a meteorite fell right on the path in front of his home. The moment was captured on a surveillance camera, which recorded both the visual and sound effects of the fall. Scientists believe this is the first such incident in history.

Seconds Before the Impact

Last July, Velaidum narrowly escaped tragedy while walking his dogs.

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

When Joe returned home, he found dark debris scattered across the path and lawn, and then checked the camera footage. The video showed a “mini-explosion” where he had stood just minutes earlier.

Scientific Discovery

Chris Heard, curator of the meteorite collection at the University of Alberta, confirmed that the fragments found near Velaidum’s home belonged to a meteorite. In total, the researchers collected about 95 grams of debris, which turned out to be ordinary chondrites, the most common type of meteorite.

The meteorite, named Charlottetown after the island’s capital, came from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The meteorite, according to Heard, entered the atmosphere at about 60,000 km/h and slowed to 200 km/h before impact.

“It's actually the first and only meteorite ever found on the Island, and what a way to make that discovery. Every time that this happens, it's a new sample from space,” said Heard, who, by a happy coincidence, visited the island shortly after the meteorite fell.

Historical Record

According to the scientist, the fall was accompanied by sound effects that had never been recorded on artificial devices before.

For Velaidum, this event became not only a subject of admiration, but also reflection.

“How does one interpret that, except… with wonder and with awe?” he says.