Overview

• The blue flash was widely seen over Kyushu and Shikoku around 23:08 JST on Aug 19, with clear footage from dashcams and Fukuoka Airport cameras.
• NASA’s CNEOS listed a preliminary impact energy of about 1.6 kilotons and a peak brightness near 30.9°N, 131.8°E southeast of Kyushu.
• Preliminary SonotaCo analysis estimated an entry speed near 21 km/s, a 58° entry angle, and a terminal altitude around 18 km, indicating disintegration over the ocean.
• Monitoring equipment on Sakurajima detected atmospheric vibrations from the event, and the Japan Meteorological Agency has not issued a formal statement.
• Local police reported no injuries, and experts say events of this scale occur a few times per year globally and are far smaller than the 2013 Chelyabinsk airburst.