A flash of light from a fiery asteroid is often treated with intrigue when it is spotted on Earth. But scientists at NASA suggest that  asteroids are smashing into the Earth's atmosphere at a higher rate than most people realize. According to a new map by the space agency,  it's a wonder we don't see fireballs raining down from the skies more frequently. Scroll down for video . Collision course:  A NASA map shows the number of asteroids striking Earth's atmosphere over a 20 year period . Light: A bolt of light illuminates the sky from Leonids Meteor Shower on November 17, 1998 . The map from the space agency's Near-Earth Object Program, reveals that more than 556 space rocks smashed into the atmosphere over a 20-year period between 1994 and 2013. The orange dots on the diagram show the frequency of asteroids that hit locations during the day while the blue dots show those that hit at night. They are  measured in billions of Joules (GJ) of energy. Most space rocks were small and harmless and disintegrated when they hit the atmosphere. Yet there are exceptions. Last year on February 15, an asteroid which was 55 feet in diameter with a mass of up to 10,000 tons crashed to earth in the Urals region in Russia. The moment was captured by bewildered commuters on their dash cams in their cars on their way to work. Bright: The flash of light believed to be part of a meteor shower was captured by a stunned motorist on their dash cam in San Antonio, Texas . Meteorite: This Mars meteorite stone was found In California in 2000 and weighed 245.4 grams, it sits beside a square cube of 1 cm  for scale . The flash of light that streaked through the sky in Chelyabinsk before landing in a fiery explosion injured more than a thousand people caused an estimated $33 million in damage. It was the largest to hit the Earth during the agency's mapping period, according to NASA. And just a few days ago, a flash of light believed to be a meteor was captured by a stunned motorist on their dash cam in San Antonio, Texas. Another resident managed to get a photo of the fireball as it sped across the horizon with witnesses saying it had a green glow. NASA said its Near Earth Object Program helps to detect and track space rocks that could cause potential danger. According to CNN, NASA said: 'The new data could help scientists better refine estimates of the distribution of the sizes of NEOs. Finding and characterizing hazardous asteroids to protect our home planet is a high priority.' NASA is dedicating more resources to track potentially dangerous space objects just in case there is a time that Earth needs to be protected from one. It is  developing an Asteroid Redirect Mission called ARM to redirect a space rock into orbit around the moon by the 2020s so astronauts can study it more closely. In a move reminiscent of a plot from a Hollywood blockbuster it is also developing ways to deflect an asteroid from Earth if one heads our way.
NASA map reveals the number of asteroids that smashed into Earth .
Most were small and harmless and disintegrated .
But The Near Earth Object Program helps to track dangerous rocks .
Last year,  an asteroid measuring 55 feet in diameter crashed in Russia .
A flash of light from a fiery asteroid is often treated with intrigue when it is spotted on Earth. But scientists at NASA suggest that asteroids are smashing into the Earth's atmosphere at a higher rate than most people realize. According to a new map by the space agency,  it's a wonder we don't see fireballs raining down from the skies more frequently. Scroll down for video . Collision course:  A NASA map shows the number of asteroids striking Earth's atmosphere over a 20 year period . Light: A bolt of light illuminates the sky from Leonids Meteor Shower on November 17, 1998 . The map from the space agency's Near-Earth Object Program, reveals that more than 556 space rocks smashed into the atmosphere over a 20-year period between 1994 and 2013. The orange dots on the diagram show the frequency of asteroids that hit locations during the day while the blue dots show those that hit at night. They are  measured in billions of Joules (GJ) of energy. Most space rocks were small and harmless and disintegrated when they hit the atmosphere. Yet there are exceptions. Last year on February 15, an asteroid which was 55 feet in diameter with a mass of up to 10,000 tons crashed to earth in the Urals region in Russia. The moment was captured by bewildered commuters on their dash cams in their cars on their way to work. Bright: The flash of light believed to be part of a meteor shower was captured by a stunned motorist on their dash cam in San Antonio, Texas . Meteorite: This Mars meteorite stone was found In California in 2000 and weighed 245.4 grams, it sits beside a square cube of 1 cm  for scale . The flash of light that streaked through the sky in Chelyabinsk before landing in a fiery explosion injured more than a thousand people caused an estimated $33 million in damage. It was the largest to hit the Earth during the agency's mapping period, according to NASA. And just a few days ago, a flash of light believed to be a meteor was captured by a stunned motorist on their dash cam in San Antonio, Texas. Another resident managed to get a photo of the fireball as it sped across the horizon with witnesses saying it had a green glow. NASA said its Near Earth Object Program helps to detect and track space rocks that could cause potential danger. According to CNN, NASA said: 'The new data could help scientists better refine estimates of the distribution of the sizes of NEOs. Finding and characterizing hazardous asteroids to protect our home planet is a high priority.' NASA is dedicating more resources to track potentially dangerous space objects just in case there is a time that Earth needs to be protected from one. It is  developing an Asteroid Redirect Mission called ARM to redirect a space rock into orbit around the moon by the 2020s so astronauts can study it more closely. In a move reminiscent of a plot from a Hollywood blockbuster it is also developing ways to deflect an asteroid from Earth if one heads our way.
map shows the number of asteroids striking rocks were small and harmless and disintegrated exceptions. Last year on February 15, an asteroid which was 55 feet in diameter with a mass of up its Near Earth Object Program helps to detect and