Locals were baffled by a strange light zipping through the night sky in northeast Thailand.

Footage shows the shooting star-like object beaming a trail of light across the dark sky before dawn on December 26.

Residents in various provinces in the northeast, including Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, and Nakhon Phanom, said they saw the phenomenon at around 5:45 am.

They joked that Santa Claus was delivering gifts, while others believed the light was from a UFO.

Associate Professor Jessada Denduangboripant later clarified that the object was likely the Long March 11 rocket launched at around the same time in China.

Chinese media reported that the Shiyan-24C satellite on the carrier rocket was launched from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong at around 6:39 am Beijing time.

It was sent into space for 'space science and technology experiments.'