A meteorite was caught on camera as it crashed outside the front door

A couple in Canada came home from walking their dog a few months ago when they found dusty garbage on the road. They turn to the security cameras for answers and discover that a mysterious smoke has appeared on the quiet road where the mystery is located.

The source of the blast was officially labeled on Monday as the Charlottetown meteorite, named after the town on Prince Edward Island, in eastern Canada, where it landed.

Only 69 meteorites have been found and recorded in the country, and this is the first recorded in Prince Edward Island, according to the Meteoritical Society, an organization that records all known meteorites. The Charlottetown meteorite is more important than a security camera, said Chris Herd, a professor at the University of Alberta and curator of the meteorite collection.

“As far as I know, this is the first time a meteor hitting the ground has been recorded with sound,” said Dr. Herd, who pointed out the space rock after the couple sent the video to the University of the United States. Alberta Meteorite Reporting System.

About 99.9 percent of the stones submitted by people in the reporting system were found not to be meteorites, said Dr. Herd. When he saw the video on July 25, 2024, which showed a small explosion with a sound that sounded like ice or glass breaking, he thought the content was important.

For the homeowner, Joe Velaidum, the video was not only capturing something valuable for science but also recording a brush with luck. Before the meteor hit, Mr. Velaidum and his friend Laura Kelly left their home to walk their dog, The Canadian Press, a news agency, reported.

“I was literally standing where the meteorite hit, just a few minutes later,” Mr. Velaidum said. “I’ve thought about it a lot because, you know, when you have a near-death experience, it shocks you.”

In another unexpected moment, it fell about 10 days before Dr. Herd to Prince Edward Island for a family vacation. Dr. went on a long trip with his wife, his eldest son and his son’s friend. Herd to meet Mr. Velaidum and Mrs. Kelly and assess the waste collected.

Using a household kitchen scale and a teaspoon, Dr. Herd measured with his son.

It is rare to see a meteorite, and to capture its fall on the ground, but Dr. Herd, “when it literally ends up on your doorstep, it’s obviously easier.”