Meteor

Death by meteor is a form of death in The Sims 3, introduced in The Sims 3: Ambitions. It is the successor to Death by Satellite which was seen in The Sims 2.

Whenever a Sim is standing in an open area, there is a very small chance a meteor will fall directly on top of them. Whenever a meteor is about to fall on top of a Sim, a large shadow will appear around them and ominous music will play. A message will appear stating that the target Sim is wondering why it suddenly got dark. All Sims on the lot will run outside to look up curiously at the sky, and the meteor can be seen if the camera view is in the right position at the exact moment it falls. Also, if the player zooms out at the right time, the meteor can be seen streaking across the sky. When a meteor hits, a mushroom cloud appears. The player has plenty of time to move the Sim out of harm's way, but if they do nothing the meteor will crush the Sim. Using a telescope outside increases the chances of getting hit by a meteor.

The impact of a meteor also creates fires and Sims standing near enough will get singed. The ground will be littered with scrap metal and space rocks.

A meteor can also hit buildings. Sims will automatically leave the building if a meteor is approaching. Those who do not exit the building in time will die.

Meteors never fall directly on children, though they may still get crushed if they stand close enough to the impact zone of a meteor aiming for a larger adult Sim.

The ghost color is orange with small hint of black with smoke rising from it and thus different than if the ghost died from fire. The tombstone depicts a meteor.

Unless mods are used, it is almost impossible to be hit by a meteor, so this is a very uncommon form of death. Only one premade Sim, Steward Curious, died from being hit by a meteor.

The only types of Sims who cannot die in this way are aliens, ghosts (playable or non-playable), pets, babies and toddlers.

In Seasons, aliens can summon meteors at will, and if they summon them in crowded places such as schools or festivals, the chances of the meteor hitting multiple Sims is very high.

Surviving A Meteor Attack

 * Upon receiving the meteor notification pay attention immediately. Do not delay.
 * Determine if one of your sims are at risk. The notification should mention which sim is at risk.
 * Move your sim out of the meteor shadow immediately. You should move him or her well away from the shadow.
 * If your sim is in a rabbithole, get him or her out and away from the shadow.
 * If an NPC is at risk, try using the resetsim [name] cheat to move him or her.
 * Keep your sim out of the meteor shadow after moving him or her.
 * Watch out for fires after the meteor attacks.

Related
In The Sims 2: Seasons, using the Weathernaught 57X with low aspiration carries a high chance that meteors will fall from the sky and start fires. Sims in range of the meteors can be set on fire.

One of the Karma powers on The Sims 3: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 includes the ability to conjure firestorm that will "Drop fireballs onto a location to cause destruction and mayhem.". The Pets version in the consoles also includes a few new karma powers, with one called "Meteor Strike" that summons a meteor to fall from the sky and crash onto the lot.