A bright fireball lit up the night sky over southern Japan at 23:08 JST (14:08 UTC) on August 19, 2025, releasing an estimated 1.6 kilotons of energy as it disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean southeast of Kyushu.
A bright fireball was observed over southern Japan at 14:08 UTC on August 19. Data from United States Government sensors archived by NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), indicate a preliminary impact energy of about 1.6 kilotons of TNT equivalent. Peak brightness was located near 30.9°N and 131.8°E, southeast of Kyushu.
Dashcam recordings and surveillance footage captured the meteor’s entry, with one of the clearest views provided by Fukuoka Airport’s camera. Media reports noted a vivid blue glow illuminating the sky across Kyushu and Shikoku, and eyewitnesses described a brief flash bright enough to resemble daylight.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has not issued a formal statement and no evidence of meteorite recovery has been confirmed.
The Kagoshima Regional Meteorological Observatory reported that monitoring equipment on Sakurajima volcano detected atmospheric vibrations generated by the fireball.
Preliminary analysis by the SonotaCo Network in Japan estimated an entry velocity of about 21 km/s (13 miles/s), an entry angle of 58°, and a terminal altitude near 18 km (11 miles). Based on these calculations, the fireball most likely disintegrated over the ocean.
A bright meteor, often described as a fireball, was observed streaking across the sky over the Sakurajima volcano and the city of Kagoshima in southern Japan.
The dramatic event lit up the night sky, making it appear as if it were daytime for a brief moment. It was captured on… pic.twitter.com/BYh074Gnrw— T_CAS videos (@tecas2000) August 19, 2025
For comparison, the Chelyabinsk airburst in 2013 released approximately 440 kilotons of energy, making the August 19 event significantly smaller but still notable. Fireballs of this scale are expected globally a few times per year and rarely pose a hazard at ground level.