IT WAS truly a sight to behold for many. Mysterious streaks of fire were seen gliding across the sky as onlookers were left flabbergasted and terrified at the same time.
Several clips of the spectacle, seen over Lampung and Banten provinces in Indonesia on Saturday (April 4), have gone viral on social media.
Were the skies of Indonesia recently illuminated by a meteor shower?
VERDICT:
FALSE
It's not a bird, it's not a plane and it's definitely not Superman. It's... space debris!
Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (Brin) confirmed that the cluster of burning objects was indeed space debris from a rocket.
The Indonesian New Agency (Antara) reported Brin saying the orbit analysis showed the debris was part of China's Long March 3B (CZ-3B) rocket, moving from the direction of India toward the Indian Ocean.
Brin astronomy professor Thomas Djamaluddin said the object descended below 120km at 7.56pm local time, making it visible to residents along the western coast of Sumatra.
"Residents in Lampung and Banten were shocked by a bright burning object they saw in the sky, which later broke into pieces.
"As the object entered the dense atmosphere, it continued moving while burning and breaking apart. This phenomenon was observed by residents in Lampung and Banten," he said on Sunday (April 5).
Several clips of the incident have been circulating on social media with onlookers describing it as "meteor-like".
Just now in Lampung, Indonesia, the sky lit up with an incredible sight—a bright streak, probably space debris, breaking across the sky. pic.twitter.com/QwZS9BbRK8— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) April 4, 2026
A few minutes ago: Something that looks like space debris is seen in the sky over Lampung, Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/ilIpbz6JqB— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) April 4, 2026
