Earth's history of meteorite strikes, in one awesome visualization

While the asteroid that's flying by Earth on Sunday the 7th isn't going to hit us, plenty of other objects from outer space have. The visualization below lets you watch all the meteorites that eyewitnesses have seen fall to Earth since the year 861.

(bolid.es)

You'll notice an increase in meteorite sightings over time — which is most likely because there are more and more people around to witness these events.

Also, some events aren't included in the chart because they didn't leave any meteorite samples behind. For instance, in the huge Tunguska event of 1908, a huge asteroid or comet entered the atmosphere and likely exploded a few miles above the surface, flattening forests in Siberia. But because there are no meteorite samples, it's not listed above.

The chart has moving parts, so head on over to bolid.es to see the spectacle.

Further reading: An asteroid will just miss Earth today. We won't always be so lucky.

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