2 days ago
'Meteoroid cluster' phenomenon observed in northeastern Japan
The "meteoroid cluster" phenomenon, a rare sight in which many meteors appear almost simultaneously, was observed in Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan as the Perseid meteor shower peaked on Wednesday.
The Perseids are one of the three major meteor showers.
An observatory in Hirosaki City says a fixed camera pointing north-northeast captured footage of many meteors appearing almost at the same time shortly before 1 a.m. on Wednesday.
Distinguished Professor Watanabe Junichi of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan said the phenomenon is believed to have occurred when space dust broke apart near Earth before entering the atmosphere.
He said the event was also observed in Hokkaido in northern Japan, Akita Prefecture in the northeast and elsewhere.
The phenomenon was observed for the first time during the Leonid meteor shower in 1997. Since then, there have only been about 10 recorded sightings worldwide.
Watanabe said the latest observation is thought to be the first of its kind in the Perseids, as there are no other confirmed cases of the cluster phenomenon in this meteor shower anywhere in the world.
He also said that analyzing reports from multiple observation sites could yield more accurate information on the meteors' trajectory and origin. He urged people with valuable data to contact the observatory.
