Meteors and Meteorites

We are often contacted by people who think they may have seen a bright meteor (“fireball”) in the sky, or have found a meteorite (the rocky remnants of a large meteor that have reached the ground). We don’t have any expertise in these topics, but we can direct you to some institutions with expert knowledge.

Did you see something like a big shooting star? Report it to the International Meteor Organization, after going through their brief checklist to rule out other common bright moving objects in the sky.

Found an odd rock you think might be a meteorite? Follow these instructions from the University of Alberta to test if your rock might be a meteorite, and fill out a form to let an expert take a look at it if it passes the tests.

First confirmed meteorite on PEI: In July of 2024, a meteorite struck the ground outside a home in Marshfield and the impact was captured on a security camera. The homeowner contacted the University of Alberta and fragments from the impact area were confirmed to be from a meteorite. This is also the first time that audio of a meteorite impact was recorded along with video. Find out more information, and see the video, by reading CBC PEI’s coverage of the event.