A Canadian homeowner’s doorbell camera recently recorded an extraordinary event—a meteorite crashing down right outside his front door. This rare footage, confirmed by the University of Alberta, may be the first to capture both the impact and the sound of a meteorite hitting the ground.
While meteorites striking Earth isn’t unheard of, the chances of one landing so close to a person’s home are extremely low. But how often do meteorites actually fall to Earth, and could they ever injure someone? Let’s find out.
How Often Do Meteorites Hit Earth?
According to the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Earth is constantly showered with space debris. Here’s a breakdown of how often different-sized objects enter Earth’s atmosphere:
- Meteoric Dust: Around 100 tons of tiny space dust particles settle on Earth daily.
- Small Pebble-Sized Fragments: These burn up in the atmosphere frequently, creating “shooting stars.”
- Small Asteroids (Around 3 Feet in Diameter): Earth gets hit by these a few times a year.
- House-Sized Asteroids: These occur once every few decades, like the 2013 Chelyabinsk event in Russia.
- Football Field-Sized Meteorites: These strike Earth approximately once every 2,000 years, causing widespread destruction.
Most meteorites disintegrate before reaching the surface, but occasionally, larger ones survive and crash down.
The 2013 Chelyabinsk Event: A Wake-Up Call
One of the most dramatic meteorite-related events in recent history occurred over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. A house-sized asteroid exploded about 14 miles above the ground, releasing energy equivalent to 30 Hiroshima bombs. The explosion shattered windows up to 75 miles away, injuring over 1,600 people, mostly due to broken glass.
Fortunately, the meteorite fragments that reached the ground didn’t strike any people or buildings directly. However, this event made scientists more aware of the dangers of undetected space objects.
Has a Meteorite Ever Hit a Person?
Yes, but it’s incredibly rare. The only documented case of a human being struck by a meteorite occurred in 1954 in Sylacauga, Alabama.
A woman named Ann Hodges was napping on her couch when a grapefruit-sized meteorite crashed through her ceiling. It bounced off her radio and hit her in the side, leaving a large bruise. Though she was physically fine, the incident made her famous overnight.
There have been unconfirmed reports of meteorites injuring or killing animals, but Ann Hodges remains the only person in history officially struck by a meteorite.
Could Space Junk Also Fall to Earth?
Besides meteorites, space junk—which includes old satellites, nuts, bolts, and debris from space missions—sometimes falls back to Earth. Fortunately, most of it burns up in the atmosphere.
In 2023, a Florida family sued NASA after a piece of space junk from the International Space Station crashed through their roof. While such incidents are rare, they highlight the risks of human-made objects in space.
What Are Meteor Showers?
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through debris left by comets and other space objects as they orbit the sun. The fiery streaks in the sky, often called shooting stars, are actually meteoroids burning up in the atmosphere.
- Meteors: Bright streaks of light seen in the sky when space debris burns up.
- Meteorites: When a meteoroid survives its journey through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the surface.
- Shooting Stars: A common term for meteors, though they are not actual stars.
While meteorites hitting Earth isn’t uncommon, the chances of one hitting a person or a home are extremely slim. Most space debris burns up in the atmosphere, and large impacts are rare, happening once every few decades or centuries. However, as the Chelyabinsk event showed, even small asteroids can cause significant damage. Whether it’s natural meteorites or human-made space junk, scientists continue to monitor the skies for potential threats.
If you ever see a shooting star, remember—it’s just a meteor burning up, not something to worry about!
