[VIDEO] Malaysians Catch Incredible 'Meteor Shower' Over Sarawak On Sunday Morning
The Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) has since clarified that they were debris from a Chinese rocket launch.
Night owls in Sarawak were treated to a dramatic sight of 'meteors' flying across the sky around 12.55am on Sunday, 31 July
Many videos were uploaded to social media by users from across Sarawak, including from Kuching, Sibu, and Bintulu.
Several Twitter users also documented hearing an explosion before seeing the bright streaks in the sky.
"There is a long streak of clouds... The people of Kuching reported hearing an explosion an hour ago," said a user.
Image via @hanifDaslepzz (Twitter)
However, the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) has since clarified that the 'shooting stars' the people had witnessed were burning debris from a Chinese rocket that was launched last week
According to a statement, the agency confirmed that the objects were indeed fragments from China's Long March 5B rocket launch that had re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and were detected in Malaysian airspace at 12.55am on 31 July.
The rocket was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, China, on 24 July to send a module to Chinese space station, Tiangong, which is currently under construction in orbit.
The Long March 5B rocket took off on 24 July from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, China.
Image via China Daily/South China Morning Post
NASA had previously announced the re-entry of the rocket's core stage, weighing 22.5 tonnes, into Earth's atmosphere over the Indian ocean
Following public concern that it may land in Malaysia, MYSA assured that there was nothing to worry about as most of the rocket launch's debris would be burnt upon re-entry.
"Only some small fragments that do not get completely burnt up will fall onto Earth," it said in an earlier statement on 29 July.
In its latest update, MYSA said the debris has fallen into the Sulu Sea.
Watch a video of the sighting here:
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