Mapping Meteorite Strikes

Displayr have been busy mapping where meteorites fall. They have created a number of mapped visualizations of NASA's Meteorite Landings database. The database contains information on all known meteorite landings. The Displayer maps however only contain information on the 1,107 meteorites that were recorded as they fell.

In What Are Your Chances of Being Hit by a Meteorite Displayr unveils a number of reporting biases which make it difficult to determine where in the world you are most likely to be hit by a meteorite. Their interactive maps show that more meteorites are spotted in areas with a high population density. In other words the number of people in an area looking at the sky can effect how many meteorites are seen.

Displayr have also discovered a reporting bias in favor of larger meteorites. After mapping the size of meteorites Displayr discovered that larger meteorites are much more likely to be seen than smaller meteorites. And - if you are worried about being hit by a meteorite - you will be happy to learn that you have more chance of being killed by lightning or a tornado.


You can view a more dramatic mapped visualization of meteorite strikes on the Visualizing Meteorites across Spatial & Temporal Attributes interactive globe. This WebGL globe shows meteorite collisions with the Earth by decade.

You can select to view a decade using the timeline at the top of the page. The mass of each meteorite is represented by the size of the cylindrical projection and the color of the projection indicates the meteorite type.