BRIN identifies bright flash over Java as meteor

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A bright celestial object seen streaking across the skies over Java on Saturday night was a large meteor burning up upon entering Earth's atmosphere, an expert said.

The meteor was first detected passing over the Java Sea before becoming visible from Bekasi, just eastward of Jakarta, at around 9:22 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, said astronomy professor at Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Thomas Djamaluddin in a statement on Monday.

"Meteors originate from space rocks orbiting the Sun," Djamaluddin explained. "When their trajectory intersects with Earth's orbit, the rocks enter the atmosphere at very high speeds. Friction with the atmosphere causes their surface to heat up and glow, making them visible as meteors."

The space rock began to glow upon entering the upper atmosphere, approximately 120 kilometers above the ground.

At that altitude, the meteor underwent friction-induced ablation, creating the bright light visible from the ground.

Trajectory analysis indicates the meteor traveled southeast across the island of Java.

As it plunged into denser atmospheric layers, its brightness intensified, displaying different colors from various vantage points.

In the eastern part of West Java, residents in Cirebon and Kuningan reported hearing a loud explosion shortly after the flash.

Djamaluddin clarified that the sound was a sonic boom generated by the meteor traveling faster than the speed of sound through the lower atmosphere, rather than an impact on the ground.

"The shock wave was heard only moments after the meteor passed because sound takes time to travel to the ground," he noted.

BRIN estimates that the meteor continued its southeast trajectory until it disintegrated or fell into the Indian Ocean, south of East Java or Bali.

"As long as a meteor burns up in the atmosphere or falls in an uninhabited area, there is no need for public concern," Djamaluddin said.

"It is important to understand this phenomenon scientifically so that the public is not misled by misinformation."

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