Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 9) – After an unidentified falling object was witnessed illuminating the night sky over Palawan, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said that it could have been a meteorite entering the atmosphere.
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The mystery object lit up the night sky over Palawan at around 7 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 7, according to residents of the Rizal and Bataraza municipalities. A loud explosion followed soon after.
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“Based on publicly available information, which includes CCTV footage, the phenomenon could have been caused by a meteoroid as it enters the atmosphere,” the PhilSA said Monday. “Small meteoroids (usually a few centimeters across) completely disintegrate in the atmosphere. Larger meteoroids, on the other hand, will survive the atmosphere and eventually hit the ground and produce a loud booming sound.”
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PhilSA added that a similar effect to the one witnessed could be simulated by fireworks or thunderstorms.
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Linked to Chinese missile launches?
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The agency dismissed the possibility of the phenomenon being linked to the recent Chinese rocket launches: Long March 7A which launched two days after the Palawan sighting on Jan. 9, and Long March 3B which launched last Dec. 29.
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“PhilSA would like to clarify that the phenomenon is highly unlikely to be related to the Long March 7A and the Long March 3B rockets…Unburned debris such as the payload fairing and rocket boosters are designed to separate from the rocket and fall back to Earth minutes after a launch before the rocket enters outer space,” PhilSA explained.
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