Shooting Star Spotted Across Western Japan
"Rare to Witness Over Such a Wide Area"
A bright shooting star suddenly lit up the night sky in western Japan, drawing widespread attention.
According to local Japanese media outlet FNN (Fuji News Network) on August 20 (local time), a meteor brightening the night sky was witnessed across various parts of western Japan at around 11 p.m. the previous day.
At the time, a camera at Kansai Airport captured a meteor emitting an intense, multicolored light as it streaked downward. This phenomenon was also observed from a car driving in Wakayama City, and in Anan City, Tokushima Prefecture, the sky briefly lit up as if it were daytime.
Reports of the meteor sighting have continued to appear on Japanese social media (SNS). One user expressed amazement, saying, "It can't even be compared to a regular meteor." Other users commented, "There was a loud noise like thunder," "The color changed from green to orange," and "It was as bright as day, just like a scene from a movie."
The cause of the light witnessed this time was a "fireball" (kakyu). This astronomical phenomenon is rare and unpredictable in terms of when it will appear.
Weather forecaster Atsushi Katahira explained, "This is a phenomenon called a fireball, which, simply put, is a very bright and large meteor. It was reportedly visible from Kyushu to the Kanto region, and it is rare for so many people to observe a fireball over such a wide area. I envy those who happened to be outside and looking at the sky at that time."
A fireball occurs when cosmic dust is pulled into Earth's atmosphere by gravity and emits light due to high temperatures. If it reaches the ground without burning up, it is classified as a meteorite. Forecaster Katahira added, "Observations are being conducted worldwide to monitor whether large meteorites or asteroids are approaching, and research is underway to detect truly dangerous objects in advance."
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