Jakarta, July 13 -- A bright celestial object seen streaking across the skies over Java on Saturday night was a large meteor burning up upon entering Earth's atmosphere, an expert said.

The meteor was first detected passing over the Java Sea before becoming visible from Bekasi, just eastward of Jakarta, at around 9:22 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, said astronomy professor at Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Thomas Djamaluddin in a statement on Monday.

"Meteors originate from space rocks orbiting the Sun," Djamaluddin explained. "When their trajectory intersects with Earth's orbit, the rocks enter the atmosphere at very high speeds. Friction with the atmosphere causes their surface to heat up and glow, making the...