News > Fireball spotted! Meteor sighting lights up sky over Japan and social media

Fireball spotted! Meteor sighting lights up sky over Japan and social media

A fireball spotted falling from the night sky over parts of western and central Japan has lit up social media, with users sharing images of the unusually bright shooting star. Local media said the fireball was believed to be a bolide, an extremely bright meteor that explodes in the atmosphere.

The fireball was visible for just a few seconds in the early hours of Sunday but was caught on cameras owned by national broadcaster NHK – which generally capture earthquake activity rather than extraterrestrial light shows.