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- A chunk of space debris fell to Earth over Japan on Sunday morning, illuminating the night sky with a brilliant flash.
- The fireball was only visible for a brief moment or two, but it caught the attention of many onlookers.
- The fireball, or bolide, was probably totally destroyed during its journey through Earth’s atmosphere.
One of the things about living on Earth, or any planet I suppose, is that you never know when an object from space is going to make a spontaneous appearance in the sky. For people in a large area of central and western Japan, Sunday morning was one of those times. In the still dark hours of the morning, a fireball appeared in the sky and produced a flash so bright it rivaled the full moon, according to witnesses.
As Kyodo News reports, the fireball appeared at approximately 1:35 a.m. local time on Sunday morning. Despite the late hour, there were many people who managed to catch a glimpse of the object streaking through the sky before flashing brilliantly and lighting up the landscape.
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Many social media users quickly posted about the bright flash, and some managed to capture images or video of the fireball within the few seconds it was visible. A video shows the descent, the flash and the disappearance of the fireball from start to finish. The video, shown below as part of a news broadcast, shows how incredibly bright the fireball (or “bolide” as they are known) glowed as it swept through Earth’s atmosphere.
It’s a really bright bolide, but the images aren’t the only thing that produced the falling chunk of space material. According to some witnesses, the fireball produced a “rumbling” sound.
A fireball is a chunk of space rock that gets too close to Earth and is attracted to the gravitational pull of our planet. As it falls through the atmosphere, the friction is too intense for the object to survive. It catches fire, producing a streak across the sky, and the bright flash that is usually seen occurs when the object is broken into small pieces and incinerated. It is common that no remains of such objects are found, but hearing something of them is a rare pleasure.
When these fireballs get close to the ground, they can explode, creating a boom that can be powerful enough to damage structures. Russia, in particular, has dealt with some of these types of blasts in populated areas. There has been no indication that this fireball, which, despite the bright light show it produced, was likely the result of a relatively small object, exploded in such a way, but the fact that a noise was reported is somewhat unusual. for such a sighting.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, wearable devices, smartphones, and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as a technology editor at The Daily Dot and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and many other print and web media. His love of reporting is second only to his addiction to games.
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