'A burst of brilliance' – Cal Flyn

'Made me look at the night sky in a completely different way.' – Will Millard

When the Sky Falls is a global cultural history of shooting stars spanning from the prehistoric to the present day, and exploring beliefs, superstitions, and the relationship between humanity and meteors throughout time.

Structured across four parts – 'Art, Culture and the Meteor', 'Utilising Space Rocks', 'Belief and Superstition' and 'Shooting Stars' Influence on History' – the book explores the varied influences the shooting star has had on our global culture and history from the governing of kings, queens and emperors, to folklore, superstitions, myths, art, music and literature, not to mention the various scientific advancements and applications that meteors have allowed.

In the present day – an era largely devoid of superstition and belief – more than anything else, a shooting star symbolises hope: an irrational excuse to make a wish in an increasingly rational world. Despite (or perhaps because of) light pollution decreasing our ability to witness the night sky in the 21st century, the shooting star retains its magic. For anyone – from the tired Russian drivers who witnessed the Chelyabinsk Event in 2013, to the amateur stargazer catching a glimpse of a falling Perseid – a shooting star tearing through the black still feels like a little miracle: this book tells their captivating story.



Jade Angeles Fitton is an author, journalist and poet with a special interest in nature writing, cultural history and folklore. Her critically acclaimed debut, Hermit: A Memoir of Finding Freedom in a Wild Place (Hutchinson Heinemann), was published in 2023, and her other writing has appeared in the Guardian, The Times, The Spectator, Vogue, The New Statesman and many more. Her poetry has been highly commended in The National Poetry competition and shortlisted for The Moth Poetry Prize. Her short fiction has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in the likes of The London Magazine. She lives in rural Devon.



- Glossary

- Introduction 

- Part One When the Star Falls to the Left: Belief, Lore and Superstition

- Part Two When the Stars are Smelted: Utilizing Heaven's Rocky Bodies

- Part Three When the City is a Star: Art, Culture and the Shooting Star

- Part Four When the Star Falls on the Moon: Shooting Stars' Influence on History

- Darkness Was the Universe Part I: Conclusion 

- Darkness Was the Universe Part II: Epilogue

- Acknowledgements

- About the Author

- References

- Index