* Astronomy

A square stone fell in the field of the Zofukuji Temple in Sasagase (present Shinogase) during the Edo period. The stone is as big as a Japanese tea bowl and weighs around 1.2kg. A record depicts that it sounded as though the world was falling apart when it hit the ground. The stone was brought to the Edo office for study. Recent researches made it clear that this stone is a meteorite. However, the year it fell is still uncertain. There are theories that it was in 1688, 1690, and 1704. The meteorite was designated as the natural monument of Shizuoka prefecture in 1955 and honorably preserved in the temple. Today, it is displayed in the Hamamatsu Science Museum.
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