At what time of day do most meteorites fall?
More recorded meteorite falls happen in the afternoon and evening than in the morning, partly because of the geometry of Earth's orbit and partly because more people are awake to see them.
If you look at the times of witnessed meteorite falls, an interesting pattern appears: more falls are recorded between noon and early evening than between midnight and noon. This is sometimes called the afternoon excess.
This is surprising at first, because meteor counts are highest before dawn. In the early morning, your side of Earth faces forwards in its orbit and sweeps up more meteoroids, including fast ones. Why, then, do meteorites seem to prefer the afternoon?
Speed matters. Meteoroids that hit the morning side tend to meet Earth head-on and arrive very fast. Fast meteoroids heat and fragment more severely, so fewer survive as meteorites. Meteoroids that catch up with Earth from behind, striking the afternoon and evening side, arrive more slowly. Slower meteoroids are more likely to survive to the ground. Most meteorite-dropping meteoroids come from the asteroid belt on orbits that cross Earth's from outside, which tends to favour afternoon arrivals.
Human factors. More people are awake and outdoors in the afternoon and evening than in the middle of the night, so falls are more likely to be seen and reported. Night-time falls are often missed unless captured by cameras.
Scientists debate how much of the pattern is physical and how much is due to observers. Camera networks, which watch the sky all night without bias, are helping to answer the question. Either way, meteorites can fall at any time of day or night.