A flashing fireball dashed across the skies of western Japan on Tuesday, shocking residents and dazzling stargazers.
The extremely bright ball of light was visible for hundreds of miles shortly after 11:00 pm local time.
According to experts, the fireball was an exceptionally bright meteor that appeared to have gone into the Pacific.
Yoshihiko Hamahata, who was driving in Miyazaki prefecture, described the moment he saw the fireball.
“A white light I had never seen before came down from above, and it became so bright that I could clearly see the shapes of the houses around us,” he told newsmen. “It seemed like daylight. For a moment, I didn’t know what had happened and was very surprised.”
Toshihisa Maeda, the head of Sendai Space Museum in the Kagoshima region in south-western Japan, confirmed that the fireball was a meteor.
“People reported feeling the air vibrate. It was as bright as the moon,” he said.
According to NASA, objects causing such fireball events can exceed one meter (3ft) in size. Fireballs that explode in the atmosphere are technically referred to as bolides, although the term fireball is often used interchangeably.
The fireball event has sparked interest and curiosity among space enthusiasts and scientists.
Maeda’s explanation of the phenomenon provides insight into the natural occurrence of meteors and their potential size and impact. The incident serves as a reminder of the vastness of space and the potential for celestial events to captivate and inspire us.
The fireball’s brightness and visibility over a wide area suggest that it was a significant event.
The fact that it was visible for hundreds of miles and caused air vibrations underscores the potential impact of such events on the environment and human observers.
As scientists continue to study and track meteors, events like this one provide valuable opportunities for research and education.