A fireball, believed to be a bolide, was spotted falling from the sky above Japan in the early hours of Sunday.
Photos and videos emerged on social media, showing an object giving off an intense light moving above the horizon.
"We believe the last burst of light was as bright as the full moon," said Takeshi Inoue, director of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium in Hyogo Prefecture.
He added that although shooting stars brighter than Venus are generally known as bolides, it is rare that they are so bright.
Social media users shared their impressions after observing the fireball.
"It made a rumbling noise," one Twitter user said, and another wrote: "The sky went totally bright."
The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has said several fireballs can be observed every month. However, it is rare for anybody to hear anything.