11月3日の午後6時ごろ、九州や中国地方にかけて西日本の広い範囲で「空を明るい光が流れるのを見た」という目撃情報が相次いだ。専門家によると、流れ星の一種で明るい光を放つ「火球」の可能性が高いという。NHKニュースなどが報じた。
この物体について、国立天文台の縣秀彦准教授は「太陽系の小惑星のかけらが大気圏に突入した際に燃えて光った『火球』ではないか」としたうえで「破片が隕石として地球に落下した可能性もあるが、落ちていたとしても海に落ちていたはずで、地上への影響はないだろう」と話しています。
（「火球」か 西日本各地で目撃情報相次ぐ NHKニュース 2014/11/02 02:00）
■ネット上の目撃情報
【関連記事】
Best Space Images Of 2014
ハッブル宇宙望遠鏡が撮影した「モンキー星雲」ことNGC 2174(01 of28)
This Hubble Space Telescope photo shows NGC 2174, the \"Monkey Head Nebula,\" located 6,400 light-years from Earth. (credit:NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA))
NASAのソーラー・ダイナミクス・オブザーバトリーが撮影した太陽フレア(02 of28)
A powerful X-class solar flare, one of three X-class flares unleashed by the sun on June 10 and 11, as seen by NASA\'s Solar Dynamics Observatory. X-class flares are the most powerful kind. (credit:Goddard Space Flight Center/AP)
地球から1500万光年離れたところにある渦巻銀河「M83」(03 of28)
Hubble image of the barred spiral galaxy M83, the \"Southern Pinwheel,\" which lies 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. This mosaic image was released in January. (credit:NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA))
若田光一宇宙飛行士が撮影した、地球の大気と三日月(04 of28)
Astronaut Koichi Wakata tweeted this view of a crescent moon rising and the cusp of Earth\'s atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2014. (credit:NASA)
地球から2300万光年離れたところにある渦巻銀河「NGC 4258」(05 of28)
Galaxy NGC 4258, located about 23 million light-years away from Earth, as seen by NASA\'s Chandra X-ray Observatory. (credit:NASA/CXC/JPL-Caltech/STScI/NSF/NRAO/VLA)
国際宇宙ステーションのアレクサンダー・ガースト宇宙飛行士が撮影した「レインボーオーロラ」(06 of28)
This photo of a \"rainbow aurora\" was taken by ISS astronaut Alexander Gerst. (credit:ESA/NASA)
土星探査機カッシーニが撮影した土星の環のクローズアップ(07 of28)
This close-up image of part of Saturn\'s rings was taken by the Cassini spacecraft on June 30. It shows, from left to right, the outer portion of Saturn\'s C ring and the inner portion of the B ring. (credit:NASA/JPL/University of Colorado)
国際宇宙ステーションのレイド・ワイズマン宇宙飛行士がツイートした夜明け(08 of28)
ISS astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this image of a sunrise on Oct. 29. Wiseman wrote, \"Not every day is easy. Yesterday was a tough one. #sunrise\" (credit:Reid Wiseman/NASA)
NASAのソーラー・ダイナミクス・オブザーバトリーが撮影した、太陽のコロナループ(09 of28)
This image taken by NASA\'s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a profile view of coronal loops. Coronal loops are found around sunspots and in active regions. (credit:NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory)
赤外線写真で撮影された土星の環(10 of28)
This image shows the sunlit side of Saturn\'s rings. It was taken in red light by the Cassini spacecraft\'s narrow-angle camera on Aug. 23. (credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
天体写真家ロゲリオ・アンドレオが撮影した「勾玉星雲」ことIC 405(11 of28)
Several celestial objects photographed in the same field of view by Spanish-American astrophotographer Rogelio Bernal Andreo, including supernova remnant Simeas 147, the \"Flaming Star\" nebula, nebula IC 410, and galactic clusters M36 and M38. (credit:Rogelio Bernal Andreo/Deep Sky Colors)
天体写真家リック・スティーブンソンが撮影した輝線星雲「SH2-199」(12 of28)
Astrophotographer Rick Stevenson released this photo of SH2-199, also known as the \"Soul Nebula,\" in December. This emission nebula is located about 6,500 light-years from Earth. (credit: Rick Stevenson/Flickr)
地球が属する「天の川銀河」の中にある大マゼラン雲(13 of28)
This Hubble image shows a portion of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small nearby galaxy that orbits our galaxy, the Milky Way. (credit:ESA/Hubble & NASA)
土星探査機カッシーニが撮影した土星の夜明け(14 of28)
A new day dawns on Saturn. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft\'s wide-angle camera on Aug. 23. (credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
1億3千万光年離れたところにある2つの渦巻銀河「NGC 2207」と「IC2163」(15 of28)
The photo is a composite image of the spiral galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163, located 130 million light years away in the constellation Canis Major. The image contains data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory in pink, optical light data from the Hubble Space Telescope in red, green, and blue, and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope in red. (credit:X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/S.Mineo et al, Optical: NASA/STScI, Infr)
1979年に撮影された木星の白黒写真をカラーに(16 of28)
In January and February 1979, NASA\'s Voyager 1 spacecraft zoomed toward Jupiter, capturing hundreds of images during its approach, including this close-up of swirling clouds around Jupiter\'s Great Red Spot. This image was assembled from three black and white negatives and newly released. (credit:NASA/JPL)
太陽の紫外線(17 of28)
An extreme ultra-violet wavelength image of a solar flare captured on Sept. 10. (credit:AP Photo/NASA)
110万5千光年離れた超新星「SN 2014J」(18 of28)
This Hubble Space Telescope composite image shows a supernova explosion designated SN 2014J in the galaxy M82, at a distance of approximately 11.5 million light-years from Earth. It was taken on Jan. 31, as the supernova approached its peak brightness. (credit:NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA))
大マゼラン雲の中にある「タランチュラ星雲」ことNGC 2070(19 of28)
An image of the Tarantula Nebula (or NGC 2070), located about 160,000 lights years away, released in January. (credit:NASA, ESA, and E. Sabbi (STScI))
「火炎星雲」ことNGC 2024(20 of28)
This composite image shows one of the clusters, NGC 2024, which is found in the center of the so-called Flame Nebula about 1,400 light years from Earth. In this image, X-rays from Chandra are seen as purple, while infrared data from NASA\'s Spitzer Space Telescope are colored red, green and blue. (credit:X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/K.Getman, E.Feigelson, M.Kuhn and the MYStIX team; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
土星の衛星・テティス(21 of28)
Saturn\'s moon Tethys captured by the Cassini spacecraft\'s narrow-angle camera on July 14. (credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
フィラエ無人ランダーが撮影したロゼッタ彗星探査機(22 of28)
The Philae lander took this portrait of the Rosetta spacecraft on Sept. 7, 2014, at a distance of about 30 miles from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.\n (credit:ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA)
「火炎星雲（NGC 2024）」と「馬頭星雲（IC 434）」(23 of28)
A widefield view of the Flame (NGC2024) and Horsehead (IC434) Nebulae in Orion, captured in December by astrophotographer Roger Hutchinson. The pair are approximately 900 to 1,500 light years away. (credit:Roger Hutchinson/Flickr)
ロゼッタ彗星探査機が着陸に成功したチュリュモフ・ゲラシメンコ彗星(24 of28)
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, captured on Aug. 3, 2014 by Rosetta\'s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera. (credit:AP Photo/ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team)
1500光年離れたオリオン大星雲(25 of28)
The Orion Nebula, an immense stellar nursery some 1,500 light-years away. This stunning false-color view was constructed using infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. (credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech)
ワイズマン宇宙飛行士が撮影した国際宇宙ステーション(26 of28)
NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman captured this image from the International Space Station and tweeted it on Sept. 28, writing, \"The Milky Way steals the show from Sahara sands that make the Earth glow orange.\" (credit:NASA/Reid Wiseman)
ガースト宇宙飛行士が撮影したオーロラ(27 of28)
European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst tweeted this photograph taken from the International Space Station to social media on Aug. 29, 2014, writing, \"words can\'t describe how it feels flying through an #aurora. I wouldn\'t even know where to begin….\" (credit:NASA/ESA/Alexander Gerst)
非常に明るい中心核を持つセイファート銀河のひとつ「NGC 1433」(28 of28)
This view, captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and released in July, shows a nearby spiral galaxy known as NGC 1433. At about 32 million light-years from Earth, it is a type of very active galaxy known as a Seyfert galaxy--with a bright, luminous center comparable in brightness to that of our entire galaxy, the Milky Way. (credit:ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgements: D. Calzetti (UMass) and the LEGUS Team)
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