Meteorite crashes through roof into sleeping woman's bed
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer
Updated Oct 18, 2021 5:36 PM EDT
Ruth Hamilton says she was sound asleep before being startled awake by a crashing noise through her ceiling. It wasn't until after she called 911 that she noticed the meteorite near her pillows.
It was a clear night in Golden, British Columbia, and 66-year-old Ruth Hamilton was sound asleep in her home when she was startled awake by something truly out of this world.
Hamilton was sleeping alone in her bed on the night of Sunday, Oct. 3, when she was jolted awake by the sound of an explosion and her dog barking. She immediately turned on the light, noticed a hole in the ceiling just above her bed and dialed 911. Shortly after dialing for help, she realized what had happened.
“[I] flipped back the top pillow and there was a rock,” Hamilton told Global BC.
The softball-sized rock turned out to be a meteorite that crashed through her house, landing just inches away from her head. Golden is situated in eastern British Columbia, about a four-hour drive west of Calgary.
Fortunately, Hamilton was able to walk away unscathed, although she now has an almost unbelievable story to tell for the rest of her life.
“It never touched me,” Hamilton told CTV News. “I had debris on my face from the drywall, but not a single scratch.”
There have been tales of people being killed by meteorites throughout history, but there has only been one confirmed death due to a meteorite in the last 100 or so years. That incident occurred in Iraq in 1888, according to Phys.org.
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The chances of being hit by a meteorite are incredibly slim. In fact, a person is more likely to be struck by lightning multiple times in life than to have a meteorite hit a house just once.
The odds of getting struck by lightning are about 1-in-15,300, while the odds of winning the Mega Millions are closer to 1-in-302,575,350.
“There is about 1 chance in 100 billion that on any given year, your bed will be hit by a meteorite,” Peter Brown told CBC English. Brown is a professor of physics and astronomy at Western University in London, Ontario, and will be examining the meteorite first-hand in the coming weeks.
“This is the first time that a bed has been hit in Canada by a meteorite,” Brown added.
Contrary to popular belief, meteorites are not red hot when they land on Earth. While they could still be warm after landing, it was not nearly hot enough to spark a fire after landing in Hamilton’s bed.
The meteorite was spotted in the sky over British Columbia and Alberta shortly before it hit Hamilton’s house. By using videos and reports from people across the region, astronomers have determined that the space rock originated from the asteroid belt, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
As for what will happen with the meteorite, Hamilton plans on keeping it after having scientists take a closer look at it. Since the space rock landed on her property, it is hers to keep.
“I think I’m just in wonder,” Hamilton told Global BC. “Every time I go into the bedroom, I go, ‘Ohh goodness, that could have hit me.’”
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Astronomy
Meteorite crashes through roof into sleeping woman's bed
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer
Updated Oct 18, 2021 5:36 PM EDT
Ruth Hamilton says she was sound asleep before being startled awake by a crashing noise through her ceiling. It wasn't until after she called 911 that she noticed the meteorite near her pillows.
It was a clear night in Golden, British Columbia, and 66-year-old Ruth Hamilton was sound asleep in her home when she was startled awake by something truly out of this world.
Hamilton was sleeping alone in her bed on the night of Sunday, Oct. 3, when she was jolted awake by the sound of an explosion and her dog barking. She immediately turned on the light, noticed a hole in the ceiling just above her bed and dialed 911. Shortly after dialing for help, she realized what had happened.
“[I] flipped back the top pillow and there was a rock,” Hamilton told Global BC.
The softball-sized rock turned out to be a meteorite that crashed through her house, landing just inches away from her head. Golden is situated in eastern British Columbia, about a four-hour drive west of Calgary.
Fortunately, Hamilton was able to walk away unscathed, although she now has an almost unbelievable story to tell for the rest of her life.
“It never touched me,” Hamilton told CTV News. “I had debris on my face from the drywall, but not a single scratch.”
There have been tales of people being killed by meteorites throughout history, but there has only been one confirmed death due to a meteorite in the last 100 or so years. That incident occurred in Iraq in 1888, according to Phys.org.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The chances of being hit by a meteorite are incredibly slim. In fact, a person is more likely to be struck by lightning multiple times in life than to have a meteorite hit a house just once.
The odds of getting struck by lightning are about 1-in-15,300, while the odds of winning the Mega Millions are closer to 1-in-302,575,350.
“There is about 1 chance in 100 billion that on any given year, your bed will be hit by a meteorite,” Peter Brown told CBC English. Brown is a professor of physics and astronomy at Western University in London, Ontario, and will be examining the meteorite first-hand in the coming weeks.
“This is the first time that a bed has been hit in Canada by a meteorite,” Brown added.
Contrary to popular belief, meteorites are not red hot when they land on Earth. While they could still be warm after landing, it was not nearly hot enough to spark a fire after landing in Hamilton’s bed.
The meteorite was spotted in the sky over British Columbia and Alberta shortly before it hit Hamilton’s house. By using videos and reports from people across the region, astronomers have determined that the space rock originated from the asteroid belt, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
As for what will happen with the meteorite, Hamilton plans on keeping it after having scientists take a closer look at it. Since the space rock landed on her property, it is hers to keep.
“I think I’m just in wonder,” Hamilton told Global BC. “Every time I go into the bedroom, I go, ‘Ohh goodness, that could have hit me.’”
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo