Meteorite strike captured on Canadian home’s doorbell camera

A doorbell camera captured the sight and sound of a meteorite striking a home walkway on Prince Edward Island in Canada. “To the best of my knowledge, it’s the first time that a meteorite hitting the surface of the Earth has been recorded on video with sound,” said Professor Chris Herd, curator of the University of Albert’s meteorite collection. Meteorites are bits of space rock that hit Earth after surviving a scorching trip through the atmosphere. About 43 tons similar debris strike Earth every day, according to NASA, but most is very tiny, less than a millimeter in size.

Class discussion: Where is most of the space debris that reaches the Earth’s surface likely to end up? Are you ever concerned that something falling from the sky might harm you? What poses the greatest threat? Asteroids and larger meteorites? Space junk from all the stuff we have blasted into orbit over nearly 70 years? Parts of airplanes? Out of control drone aircraft? Something falling from a building? Have you ever watched the “shooting stars” of the several meteor showers which happen every year? How much of space is really empty? How much can we simply not see?