A Giant Fireball Appears Again Over Japanese Airspace... "The Entire Sky Brightened"

At 1:34 a.m. on the 29th, a massive fireball emitting bright light was observed over a wide area of western Japan. [Image source = NHK broadcast screen capture][Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A giant fireball, presumed to be a meteor, falling through the skies over Japan was captured by NHK broadcast cameras, drawing widespread attention.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported on the 29th at around 1:34 a.m. that a meteor emitting an exceptionally bright light was observed across a wide area of western Japan.

NHK cameras installed in Mie and Aichi prefectures captured the fireball appearing in the southern sky, falling for several seconds before emitting a flash and disappearing.

NHK stated, "The fireball fell for several seconds, gradually brightening until the entire sky suddenly lit up."

Eyewitness accounts on social media followed. An NHK staff member who witnessed the event from their home in Ehime Prefecture in the Shikoku region said, “It was so bright that I could see the fireball glowing even beyond the curtains.” It was also reported that the phenomenon was mostly observed across western Japan, including the Tokai and Kinki regions.

Meteor suspected material that appeared over Japanese airspace on July 2 [Image source = NHK broadcast screen capture]

Meanwhile, on July 2nd, a meteor accompanied by a massive flame fell in the Kanto region of Japan, becoming a hot topic. Fragments of this meteor were found about ten days later in Narashino City, Chiba Prefecture.

At that time, social media was flooded with eyewitness reports such as, "The house shook with a 'bang' explosion," and "It sounded like thunder and lightning with an explosion."

According to NASA, meteors about 1 meter in size enter Earth's atmosphere roughly once every three days, and those about 50 cm enter about once a day. However, experts at the time expressed surprise, saying, "Since 70% of the Earth is covered by oceans, it is rare for meteors to be observed over land, especially in densely populated areas like around Tokyo."