In a remarkable turn of events, homeowners on Prince Edward Island, Canada, returned to their homes to find an unusual star-shaped pattern of grey dust on their walkways. 

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Little did they know, this dust was the aftermath of a meteorite crash, an event that had been captured on their doorbell camera. Curious about the strange dust, the homeowners decided to review their security camera footage. What they discovered was nothing short of astounding – a rock, seemingly from space, plummeting to Earth and crashing directly into their walkway as reported by CBS News.

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A rare event

While meteors do crash to Earth on occasion, such events are extremely rare, making this incident all the more extraordinary. 

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First-ever video and sound recording of a meteorite impact

The video footage, which included rare audio, shows the moment the meteorite strikes the ground. The sound is described by experts as being similar to glass breaking or a pot falling. This is the first documented instance of both the visual and auditory experience of a meteorite impact being captured on video. University of Alberta science professor Chris Herd, who specialises in meteorite research, confirmed that no previous meteorite fall had been recorded with such detail. 

"No other meteorite fall has been documented like this, complete with sound," Herd said in a statement. "It adds a whole new dimension to the natural history of the Island."

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Expert investigates the meteorite fragments

Upon hearing about the unusual incident, Professor Herd travelled to the homeowners’ property 10 days later to examine the scene. The homeowners had already collected several fragments, totalling around 7 grams, which they had found near the impact site. Using a vacuum and a magnet, they retrieved additional samples.

Herd confirmed that the fragments were indeed from a meteorite. He identified it as an "ordinary chondrite," a type of meteorite composed mostly of silicate minerals.