Jatilaba (prov.) meteorite fall in Jatilaba, Margasari District, Tegal Regency, Central Java, Indonesia at ~6:35:28 pm WIB (~11:35:28 UTC) on 5 October 2025

08/10/2025 13:40 · by karmaka · in meteorite, witnessed fall

Last update: 16 October 2025 (10:45 CEST)

At around 6:35:28 pm WIB (~11:35:28 UTC) on 5 October 2025 a ~1.25-kilogram meteorite (probably an ordinary chondrite) fell in Wasroni’s yard next to his house in the northwest of the village Jatilaba, Margasari District, Tegal Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.

The three-sided pyramid-shaped and almost fully fusion-crusted meteorite was found after sunset in the evening shortly after five loud booms, similar to thunder, were heard in the area, causing the windowpanes of houses in the village to vibrate. Wasroni’s neighbor’s son Ibnu (11) first saw the ~6-second bolide coming in from a northern to north-northwestern direction and then witnessed the impact on the sandy ground while playing with his friends in the yard near the house. They immediately went to the fall site (which we believe to be at location 7°02’40.3″S, 109°01’34.3″E, very close to Jatilaba’s ancient Muslim Kulon cemetery) where they found the meteorite inside its impact pit (~20 cm wide, ~10 cm deep). The meteorite was still warm when Ibnu touched it. The boys screamed with joy and attracted other local residents. At the time of the fall Wasroni (40-50), also called Wao, was still in the house but had heard the detonation booms coming from a northern direction. Wasroni later touched the meteorite, which by then was not warm anymore. He took it home and kept it there until he sold it to a foreign dealer in mid-October. The meteorite mass will thus not remain in Indonesia and won’t be available to the Indonesian public in the future. The village government had initially reported the discovery to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) for further investigation. On 7 October Jatilaba Village Head Jumadi confirmed the discovery and explained that by then no official agency, such as LAPAN or BMKG, had come to examine the meteorite. The BMKG Seismic Sensor with the ACJM code located in Astanajapura District, Cirebon Regency recorded the bolide’s significant vibration event at 18:39:11-14 WIB from a southwestern azimuth of 221.3°. The estimated meteorite strewn field is located between the north-northwest and the southwest of Jatilaba. On 14 October a first social media report about another meteorite mass weighing about 16 kilograms were published. The mass was found by a craftsman, Mr. Dayot, in a rice field near Lake Beko, about 1.2 kilometre south-southwest of Jatilaba at a depth of about one metre.

“Saat itu saya sedang bermain dengan teman-teman seperti biasa. Kemudian melihat seperti bola api jatuh dari langit. Karena penasaran langsung mencari jatuhnya dimana ternyata ada di pekarangan rumah. Sempat pegang batu rasanya hangat.” (Ibnu)

(“I was playing with my friends as usual. Then I saw what looked like a fireball falling from the sky. Out of curiosity, I immediately looked for it, and it turned out it was in the yard. I touched the rock and it felt warm.”) (Ibnu)

The inhabitant Nua Aeni reports this about the moment the meteorite was found: “Well, it started after sunset, the kids were playing, then there was a thundering sound. I thought it was like it was going to rain. At that time, I asked the kids, “What’s going on? What’s going on?” They said they didn’t know. Then, the fifth time it thundered, something fell. The kids said, “Look, that’s a ray of light coming from the north, and it fell there.” So, the kids ran to look for it, and it turned out to be a rock. Then Mas Ibnu picked it up and showed me the thing that had fallen. He said, “This is the star. This is the one big star. He said it was shaped like a stone. The color – when I picked it up, it was half black and some were black. The child said it was still warm when he held it. When he showed me the stone, it was still warm. Then he put it down. Then I looked down. I saw the child carrying the stone and then he took it.”

Nua Aeni: “Eh, awalnya pas itu ya habis magrib anak-anak lagi pada main terus ada suara geluduk lah ya. Dikira kayak suara geluduk mau hujan gitu. Pas itu saya tanya sama anak-anak, “Ada apa? Ada apa?” Anak bilang enggak tahu ada apa gitu. Terus pas ke lima kalinya geluduk itu ada benda jatuh. Kata anak-anak lihat itu sinar cahaya gitu dari arah utara terus jatuh di sana. Nah, terus anak-anak pada lari nyari itu ee benda yang tadi jatuh ternyata ada batu. Terus diambillah sama Mas Ibnu terus tunjukin ke saya ini benda yang jatuh. Kata dia, “Ini bintangnya. Ini bintangnya yang satu gede bilang bentuknya batu. warnanya waktu diambil itu separuh hitam si ada hitam-hitam. Kata anak itu masih anget pas dipegang waktu nunjukin ke saya teh masih anget terus ditaruh di bawah. Terus saya lihat gitu ke bawah lihat anak itu bawa patu terus diambil lagi sama anak itu udah diambil lagi diminta sama Mas Wasroni.”

Lake Beko mass (~16 kg)

The video and the two photos below show another ~16-kilogram Jatilaba meteorite mass which was found by a craftsman called Dayot in a rice field near Lake Beko in the southwest of Jatilaba at a depth of about one metre, as first reported on 14 October 2025. The finder was aware of the hole in the ground immediately after the fall but waited for about a week to excavate it from a depth of about one metre. This 16-kilogram meteorite mass also has already been sold to a foreign dealer and thus won’t be publicly available for current and future meteorite enthusiasts in Indonesia.

Video: Bang Manyutt Kagetan

Photo: Bang Manyutt Kagetan (14 October 2025)

Photo: Bang Manyutt Kagetan (14 October 2025)

Wasroni mass (~1.25 kg)

Wasroni holding the meteorite. Image: NTV (9 October 2025)

Wasroni holding the meteorite. Image: NTV (9 October 2025)

Trailing side of the meteorite. Image: NTV (9 October 2025)

The Jatilaba (prov.) meteorite. Video by a local reporter/Imam Suripto, published by Ahmad Fairuz on 13 October 2025

The fist-sized fusion-crusted meteorite. Photo: Imam Suripto

The fist-sized fusion-crusted meteorite. Photo: unknown

The meteorite being weighed. Photo: unknown

The meteorite at its fall site. Photo: unknown

Wasroni (left) at the fall site next to his house. Photo: detik

Ibnu pointing at the impact pit . Image: NTV (9 October 2025)

Video: Jullie Mom’ny Eza/ (5 October 2025)

Neibors gathering around the impact site in the evening of the fall. Video: Jullie Mom’ny Eza (5 October 2025)

Video: Ibnu being interviewed on 7 October 2025. Bang Tony

Video: Tribun Pantura/Tribun Jateng

Video: Radio Elshinta

Video: Metro TV

Video: Kanal Indonesia TV (9 October 2025)

Video: NTV (9 October 2025)

Video: Semarang TV News (11 October 2025)

Video: Batik TV News (13 October 2025)

The bolide

The bolide in a northeastern direction recorded from location 7°11’15.4″S, 108°47’56.3″E at Etri Rias shop in Cilopadang – Salem, Banjarsari, Banjaran, Salem District, Brebes Regency. The fall site of the meteorite is only 29.7 kilometres in the northeast of the camera location. Video published by Pesona Ketanggungan (5 October 2025)

Bolide on CCTV recording on 5 October 2025. Video: Crbofficial (Tiktok)

Bolide on CCTV recording on 5 October 2025. Video: Crbofficial77 (Tiktok)

The bolide at an azimuth of 262° recorded by the all-sky camera at Observatorium Yanbu’ul Qur’an (location: 6°41’54.0″S, 110°51’02.0″E, 205 kilometres east-northeast from the meteorite fall site) in Menawan, Kudus Regency, Central Java. Photo: Yanbuul Quran Menawan Kudus Observatory

Media coverage of the bolide. Video: Official iNews

Media coverage of the bolide. Video: KOMPASTV JAWA BARAT

The BMKG seismic sensor, codenamed ACJM, located in Atanajapura, Cirebon, recorded significant vibrations (azimuth 221.3°), suspected to be related to the meteoroid detonations. Photo: Daryono (BMKG)