Shadow Orb

Shadow Orbs are purple floating orbs which are found deep in the chasms of the Corruption. Frequently, to get to them you need to dig through Ebonstone, which is possible by using Nightmare Pickaxe or higher tier Pickaxes, exploding it with Dynamite, or converting it to normal stone with Purification Powder.

Once you reach the orb, you can break it with a Hammer, Bomb, or Dynamite.

It is possible to find multiple Shadow Orbs right next to each other, though this is uncommon.

Orb count (cycle)
Each orb, when destroyed, will leave behind items for the player. If destroyed between dawn (4:30am) and midnight (0:00am), there's a 50% chance that a Meteorite will fall at the next midnight. If destroyed between midnight and dawn, there's a 50% chance that a Meteorite will fall immediately.

The following list outlines the cycle of messages and consequences:


 * Destroying your first orb will relay the message "A horrible chill runs down your spine...". This also fulfills the criteria for a Goblin Army to attack. The first orb-smash will always give the player a Musket and some Musket balls (Carrying the musket will fulfill the criteria for the Arms Dealer to arrive).
 * On destroying a second orb, the message "Screams echo around you..." appears. Nothing special will happen, except for the already mentioned 50% chance of a meteorite to fall.
 * On destroying a third orb, the message "Eater of Worlds Has Awoken" appears and the Eater of Worlds is spawned. Also, the destroyed orbs count is reset. (The message will not appear, and the Eater of Worlds will not be spawned if this shadow orb is in The Hallow)

Loot
Shadow Orbs may contain:
 * Musket and 25-50 Musket Balls
 * Orb of Light
 * Vilethorn
 * Ball O' Hurt
 * Band of Starpower

The first Shadow Orb you break on any given map won't always drop a Musket and some Musket Balls, but it usually will.

Tips

 * If you destroy multiple orbs between a single sunrise and midnight, you'll only get one 50% chance of a Meteorite falling the following midnight. However, if you destroy multiple orbs between a single midnight and sunrise, each destroyed orb gives a separate 50% chance of immediately causing a meteorite to fall.  Thus, if you want to harvest multiple orb drops quickly without having to wait a day between each smashed orb or waste potential meteorite falls, do so between midnight and dawn.  Keep in mind that a world can only hold a limited number of unmined meteorite tiles before meteorites stop falling, so don't let too many meteorite crash site accumulate before mining them.