'Meteorite' Crashed Through Roof, Landed on Sleeping Woman's Pillow

A Canadian woman was fast asleep when a "space rock" believed to be a meteorite crashed through her roof and landed on her pillow, reported Castlegar News. She said the terrifying experience has provided her with a new outlook on life.

The event happened on October 4 in Golden, British Columbia, said the newspaper. Ruth Hamilton was asleep when she awoke suddenly to the sound of a loud crash and the feeling of debris on her face.

"I just jumped up and turned on the light, I couldn't figure out what the heck had happened," she told Castlegar News.

Thankfully, Hamilton was not injured.

As she looked around her room, she discovered a hole in the ceiling and a rock on her pillow. Unsure and a little shaken, she called the police.

According to the New York Post, police first theorized that the rock came from a nearby construction site. However, a quick call proved that theory incorrect.

"We called the Canyon project to see if they were doing any blasting and they weren't," Hamilton said according to the publication.

But those at the construction site did say that they saw a "bright light in the sky that had exploded and caused some booms." With this information in mind, both Hamilton and the officer agreed that the rock was likely a meteorite.

"I'm just totally amazed over the fact that it is a star that came out of the sky. It's maybe billions of years old," she said.

Simply put, a meteorite is a meteor that has survived a trip through the Earth's atmosphere, Nasa explained on its website. According to England's Natural History Museum blog, "[t]he chances of a meteorite falling are the same everywhere on the Earth.

"Unfortunately this means that most meteorites end up in the oceans, or land in remote areas where few people see the preceding fireball," the museum continued. As such, finding a meteorite is "extremely challenging."

Still, the museum added that about 50,000 known meteorites have been collected worldwide.

Hamilton told local media that she plans on keeping the meteorite, and shared that her grandchildren think the space debris is "pretty cool." She also said that the experience has given her a new perspective on life.

"The only other thing I can think of saying is life is precious and it could be gone at any moment even when you think you are safe and secure in your bed," Hamilton said according to Castlegar News.

"I hope I never ever take it for granted again."