A fireball, believed to be a bolide, was spotted falling from the sky above Japan in the early hours of Sunday.
Photos and videos emerged on social media, showing an object giving off an intense light moving above the horizon.
流れ星の中でも特に明るく輝く火球が、29日午前1時半すぎに、西日本の広い範囲で、観測されました。https://t.co/QCOgTZy7qp pic.twitter.com/RKTx7zYwkN
— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) November 28, 2020
"We believe the last burst of light was as bright as the full moon," said Takeshi Inoue, director of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium in Hyogo Prefecture.
He added that although shooting stars brighter than Venus are generally known as bolides, it is rare that they are so bright.
Social media users shared their impressions after observing the fireball.
"It made a rumbling noise," one Twitter user said, and another wrote: "The sky went totally bright."
The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has said several fireballs can be observed every month. However, it is rare for anybody to hear anything.
