Fireball meteor sightings reported

Two unrelated counters, one in the sky and one on factory floors, both clicking up at almost exactly the same rate. The robots are not looking up. The fireballs are not arriving on schedule. Yet the numbers shake hands every year.

Industrial robot installations have grown at roughly fifteen percent compounded annually since 2005, driven by Chinese manufacturing automation. Reported fireball sightings have grown at a similar pace, but for an entirely different reason: the American Meteor Society's online reporting form and the spread of dashcams have turned every commute into a potential observation post. The number of fireballs has not changed; the number of people in a position to report one has exploded. Both lines climb because the world got more eyes, not more events.

Most apparent surges are reporting surges. The sky is steady. We are simply better witnesses than we were.