161-2024 (TOKYO) Residents in Japan’s Kanto region were treated to a stunning celestial display on Monday morning as an exceptionally bright meteor streaked across the dawn sky.
Fujii Daichi, an astronomy curator at the Hiratsuka City Museum in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, reported the sighting. Cameras positioned at his home in Hiratsuka and in the neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture captured the event, known as a fireball, shortly before 7 a.m.
さきほど大火球が流れました！2024年1月15日6時55分36秒に流れた大火球を、富士から北の高い空に向けたカメラで捉えた様子です。数分後に爆発音が聞こえた地域があったようで、隕石落下の可能性があります。 pic.twitter.com/6DL7h3Kybm
— 藤井大地 (@dfuji1) January 14, 2024
The footage depicts a luminous sphere emerging against the backdrop of the morning sky, traversing for a few fleeting seconds before disappearing from view.
According to Fujii, the trajectory of the light suggested that it travelled towards Nagano Prefecture, situated north of Shizuoka, originating from above Kanagawa.
Eyewitnesses, predominantly from the Kanto region, took to social media to share their experiences, mentioning the accompanying sound of a blast.
2024年1月15日6時55分36秒に流れた大火球を、平塚の自宅から北西の空に向けたカメラで捉えた様子です。日の出後に流れたので、昼間火球でもありました。 pic.twitter.com/R2V4SRqgN7
— 藤井大地 (@dfuji1) January 14, 2024
Fujii expressed surprise at witnessing such a bright fireball during daylight hours, indicating that the intense luminosity suggested the meteor might have been several dozen centimeters in diameter, an uncommon occurrence.
Reports of a shockwave accompanying the meteor further fueled speculation that it may have made contact with the ground.
