Ruth Hamilton, a Golden, British Columbia resident, was jolted out of sleep when a loud explosion occurred in her bedroom at about 11:30 PM on October 3. Hamilton initially thought that the crash might have been caused by a tree falling near her home or a rock blasting crew for highway construction working in the area, so she called 911 to report the incident.
However, when Hamilton looked up at her bedroom ceiling, she noticed a large gaping hole. And when she lowered her gaze to her pillows and bedding, “a rock was sitting there,” she related.
That “rock” turned out to be a meteorite after an investigation was conducted by the RCMP officer who went to Hamilton’s home after she dialed 911. The officer also related that people near the vicinity of Hamilton’s home were talking about a falling star hurtling in the sky when something smashed through her roof.
Canada Research Chair in small planetary bodies, Peter Brown, pointed out that the chances of a meteorite smashing through Hamilton’s roof and landing on her bed are significantly rare. Brown said the odds are “about one in 100 billion per year” when asked for a ballpark figure.
Hamilton loaned her meteorite to Brown and University of Calgary’s planetary scientist, Alan Hildebrand, for study. The scientists are set to determine the possible trajectory of the meteorite before it ended up on Hamilton’s bed. They also asked the residents Cranbrook, Golden, and Kelowna to inspect their properties since there might be other meteorites that landed in the said areas.
Brown and Hildebrand are scheduled to return the meteorite in November after completing the tests they have already planned. In the meantime, Hamilton is arranging to have her roof fixed. She is also checking with her insurance provider if such an event is covered in her policy. Hamilton also shared that she’ll be sleeping in the spare bedroom for now.
