BINTULU — The bright object seen streaking across the sky in parts of Sarawak has been confirmed to be a ‘bolide’, a type of meteor that burns brightly upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, said the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA).

MYSA said its analysis found the phenomenon was caused by a space rock entering the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed.

“When such a rock enters the atmosphere at a very high velocity, it collides with atmospheric particles and generates intense heat. This causes the meteor to burn and emit bright light,” MYSA told The Borneo Post today.

It added the explosion-like sound often heard a few seconds after the light disappears is due to the meteor fragmenting in the atmosphere.

“Following the explosion, the meteor may shatter into smaller fragments—some of which could fall to Earth,” it said.

However, MYSA confirmed that no reports of meteor fragments falling in any part of Sarawak have been received so far.

Bintulu police chief Supt Nixon Joshua Ali when contacted after the incident also confirmed that no report had been lodged.

A strange bright light, followed by a loud boom, startled residents across Bintulu and neighbouring areas on Oct 1.

The object was first seen moving at high speed over the Samalaju industrial area at about 9pm. Shortly after the light was visible, people reported hearing a loud explosion-style sound and some likened it to thunder.

The event was captured on video by several residents, and the recordings quickly circulated on Facebook.