A brightly burning meteor plunged from the sky in Japan and created a flash that was seen across the country – an event that captured the attention on TV and social media. The meteor glowed strongly as it rapidly descended through the Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday. Many people in western Japan said on social media that they saw the rare sight. NHK public television said its cameras in central prefectures such as Aichi and Mie, as well as elsewhere, captured the fireball in the sky. A camera at Nagoya port showed the meteor shining as brightly as a full Moon as it neared the Earth, the <em>Asahi</em> newspaper reported. Some experts said small fragments of the meteorite might have reached the ground. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan said meteor landings occurred once a month, on average. But it said it was rare to see such a bright light or hear a rumbling noise. Meteors, also called shooting stars, can often be seen streaking across the sky. When flying through space they are referred to as meteoroids. Most that come to Earth are small – Nasa estimates that as much as 48.5 tonnes of material falls to Earth each day but the majority vaporises as it passes through the atmosphere – leaving behind a bright trail.
