TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsGlowing object over West Java sky likely a meteor, BRIN says
Some residents captured footage of what appeared to be a glowing red orb streaking across the sky, which quickly went viral on social media. Videos also circulated showing fires near Kilometer 219 on the Palimanan-Kanci toll road in Cirebon Regency, with some claiming these were caused by the meteor’s impact.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A stock illustration of a shooting star. (Shutterstock/Nazarii_Neshcherenskyi)
T
he National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has stated that a glowing object that lit up the skies over Majalengka, Kuningan and Cirebon regencies in West Java on Sunday night was likely a meteor.
BRIN astronomy and astrophysics researcher Thomas Djamaluddin said the conclusion was drawn after reviewing reports and eyewitness accounts of the incident.
He said eyewitnesses reported hearing a booming sound and thunder-like rumbling in the Kuningan subdistrict of Cirebon Regency at around 6:30 p.m. A Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) sensor in the area also detected a minor tremor around that time.
Read also: Turn skyward to catch one of world’s best meteor showers
"When a meteor entered a lower part of the atmosphere, it generated a shock wave that caused a booming sound," he said on Monday as quoted by Antaranews.
Thomas added that the assessment was further supported by video evidence, including footage recorded by residents showing glowing red orbs in the night sky. Additional CCTV recordings also captured what appeared to be a shooting star passing over the area at the same time.
Thomas said the meteor likely fell in the Java Sea just off the coast of Cirebon regency.
