| Nōgata | |
| Type: | Chondrite[1] |
| Class: | Ordinary chondrite |
| Group: | L6 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Region: | Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Lat Long: | 33.7167°N 175°W |
| Observed Fall: | Yes |
| Fall Date: | 19 May 861 |
| Found Date: | 19 May 861 |
| Tkw: | 472g |
The Nōgata meteorite is an L6 chondrite meteorite fragment, found in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is believed to be the oldest fragment associated with a sighting of a meteor fall. Witnessed by a young boy on May 19, 861, who led others to the impact site, it was accepted as having come from the sky.[2] It was analyzed and described by Masako Shima of the National Science Museum of Tokyo and accepted by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society in 1979. Shima published a complete analysis of the chemical makeup of the fragment in 1983. It is on display in a Shinto shrine in Nōgata.[3]