BINTULU, Oct. 7 -- 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 me...