The fireball was visible across portions of New England and quickly became a topic of discussion online, particularly among people in and around Boston. Many residents initially struggled to identify the source of the loud noise, while others shared videos and eyewitness accounts of the bright flash in the sky.
Loud Boom And Bright Flash Reported Across Region
According to NASA, the meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere at an extremely high speed before breaking apart over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire.
The US space agency said the fireball fragmented at approximately 2:06 pm local time on Saturday.
NASA deputy news chief Jennifer Dooren told AFP that the meteor was travelling at around 75,000 mph (more than 120,000 kph) and broke apart at an altitude of 40 miles above the ground.
“The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which accounts for the loud booms,” she said.
The explosion produced a bright flash and a sonic boom that was heard across the region. Social media users reported that the noise was powerful enough to shake buildings and homes.
Meteor Not Linked To Satellite Or Space Debris
NASA clarified that the object was a natural meteor and not a satellite re-entry or piece of space debris.
“This fireball was not associated with any currently active meteor shower, but it was a natural object and not a re-entry of space debris or a satellite,” Dooren said.
Scientists explained that meteors frequently enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up before reaching the ground. However, larger objects can create fireballs and sonic booms when they fragment at high altitudes.
Although the explosion released a large amount of energy, it occurred far above the Earth’s surface and did not result in impact damage.
Experts Spotted Event Through Satellite Data
The event was also detected by weather-monitoring satellites.
Nick Stewart, a spaceflight meteorologist, pointed to data from NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite shortly after reports of the explosion began emerging online.
“Reports of an explosion hears around Boston I believe are going to be a rather significant bolide/meteor entering the atmosphere. Very large ‘flash’ detected by GOES-19 GLM that does not correlate with active thunderstorms,” Stewart wrote on X.
In a follow-up post, he added, “The flash density product really shows this anomalous ‘flash’ which is pretty distinctive of a bolide/meteor reentry. east of Boston. This is the likely source of the loud boom/explosion.”
NASA Shares Details Of The Event
NASA later shared additional information on social media.
“#MeteorSighting: Eyewitnesses in New England and @NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite reported a bright fireball on Saturday, May 30, at 2:06 p.m EDT accompanied by a loud noise. The meteor appears to have fragmented at an altitude of 40 miles over northeast MA and southeast NH. The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which accounts for the loud noise. Eyewitness accounts supplied by the American Meteor Society.”
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) also addressed the event, describing it as a “widely felt sonic boom from a suspected bolide”.
“Unlike earthquakes which occur at discrete location in the earth, sonic boom events occur along a linear path in the atmosphere,” the agency said.
Residents Flood Social Media With Reactions
The incident prompted numerous reactions from residents across the region, many of whom initially believed the loud noise might have been caused by an explosion or thunderstorm.
Several users claimed the boom was strong enough to rattle windows and shake houses, particularly in areas around Boston.
Experts noted that when larger meteors explode in the atmosphere, they can generate shockwaves that travel long distances and produce sounds resembling thunder or explosions.
Comparisons With The 2013 Chelyabinsk Event
While the latest meteor created a spectacular display, experts stressed that it was far smaller than some historic atmospheric explosions.
NASA pointed to the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor over Russia, where a house-sized space rock exploded approximately 14 miles above the ground.
According to NASA, that event released energy equivalent to around 440,000 tons of TNT. The resulting shockwave shattered windows across a large area and injured more than 1,600 people, most of them due to flying glass.
By comparison, Saturday’s meteor released significantly less energy and caused no reported injuries or damage.
Nevertheless, the rare fireball captured public attention and offered a dramatic reminder of the natural objects that regularly enter Earth’s atmosphere, most of which go unnoticed as they burn up high above the planet.
