Watch: 'Strange' fireball glides past Japan skies, leaving netizens puzzled

A streak of fireball glided across the night skies of Japan, leaving many residents puzzled at the strange phenomenon.

On Wednesday night, several people took to social media to share clips of what appeared to be a meteorite, with smaller ones streaking behind it, as it lighted up the sky around 8.30 pm (local time).

The mysterious burning object was spotted moving eastward towards Okinawa city.

Soon, it was spotted in various areas in Japan, including Nago and Itoman in Okinawa prefecture, and Amami inKagoshimaprefecture.

“What’s this?meteorite? shooting star? missile?” one Twitter user wrote. “It looks like a fireball!” said another.

However, before any random claim could give space toconspiracy theories, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan came out with a clarification.

It said that the movement of the objects indicated that it was not a meteorite but "looked exactly like the atmospheric entry of debris from a rocket" possibly from a Chinese launch in November.

A Japanese official, who did not share his name, told AFP news agency that the fiery streaks were likely not shooting stars, but rocket debris.

“Given the information publicly available, we think the falling objects are not fireballs from meteorites, but debris from a rocket,” said the official with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).

“It is possible that (it was) debris from a rocket that was launched by China in November,” he said.

A curator of astronomy at the Hiratsuka City Museum in Kanagawa prefecture also believed that the object may have been a Chinese rocket.

“The object appears to be a rocket launched by China carrying a communications satellite in November last year,” he told local news.

The space junk was predicted to land in the sea and posed no danger to residents.

“It was beautiful, it looked like a weeping cherry blossom tree,” one Twitter user wrote of the display.

“But it’s good to know it wasn’t something dangerous.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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