The reported unidentified falling object followed by a mysterious explosion in Palawan "could have been caused by a meteor as it enters the atmosphere," said the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) in a statement on Monday, Jan. 9.
"Small meteors (usually a few centimeters across) completely disintegrate in the atmosphere. Larger meteors, on the other hand, may survive the atmosphere and eventually hit the ground and produce a loud booming sound. Recovered pieces of these meteors are called meteorites," it added.
However, the space agency noted that these occurrences rarely happen.
"Although there have been records of meteorites landing in the Philippines, as of press time, PhilSA has not received any reports of meteorites being sighted or recovered," it said.
"Similar phenomena that could simulate bright flashes of light and produce explosion sounds include fireworks and thunderstorms," PhilSA added.
Last Saturday, Jan. 7, residents of Bataraza and Rizal towns in Palawan reported an explosion and a tremor after an unknown object fell from the sky around 7 p.m.
Eddie Bonsato from Bataraza Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said in a radio interview that the object was shaped like a ball.
PhilSA also clarified in the statement that the incident is unlikely related to the Long March 7A and the Long March 3B rockets as the former was launched into space on Monday, Jan. 9.
"Meanwhile, expected unburned debris from the Long March 3B rocket, launched on 29 December, has already fallen on the drop zone area near Palawan," PhilSA added.
The agency explained that unburned debris like payload fairing and rocket boosters are designed to detach from the rocket and fall back to the planet minutes after take-off before even entering outer space.
There was also no expected orbital debris reentry in the Philippine atmosphere by the time the phenomenon in Palawan was experienced.