A fireball was spotted in areas including the Kinki region in western Japan, seen through a break in the clouds. SNS were abuzz about the sighting, in which the fireball was seen plummeting toward the Earth and changing in color from green to red. (Provided by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge live camera)

Photo/Illutration Footage from a live camera placed near the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Tarumi Ward, in Kobe, shows a fireball lighting up the sky at 11:16 p.m. on Nov. 10. (Provided by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge live camera)

A fireball or large meteor was spotted in areas including the Kinki region in western Japan, plummeting toward Earth on the night of Nov. 10.

Accounts and images of sightings of the object quickly went viral on social media and online video-sharing platforms.

A live camera placed near the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Hyogo Prefecture caught images of the fireball at 11:16 p.m.

The footage captured the meteor for five seconds, which was falling through a break in the clouds in the night sky, changing in color from green to red.

A fireball occurs when a fragment from an asteroid enters the Earth's atmosphere, heats up, melts and glows, according to the public relations center for the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan in Mitaka, Tokyo.

Sky watchers have a better chance of spotting a fireball in mid-November at the peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower, said Takeshi Inoue, 52, director of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture.

Another may be spotted again when the sky is clear at night, he said.

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