NASA revealed that a meteor traveling at approximately 120,000 kilometers per hour entered Earth's atmosphere before breaking apart above the U.S. states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, producing a loud explosion and tremors felt across several areas, releasing energy equivalent to 300 tons of TNT.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported that a meteor entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded over the northeastern United States on the afternoon of Saturday, 30 May, causing shockwaves and a loud boom that echoed across the region. Residents were alarmed and posted on social media that the explosion was powerful enough to shake their homes.
Jennifer Duren, NASA's Deputy Press Chief, confirmed that the bright fireball event occurred at 14:06 local time. The object traveled at speeds up to 75,000 miles per hour (over 120,000 kilometers per hour) before fragmenting at an altitude of about 64 kilometers above the border area between northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire.
NASA stated that the energy released when the meteor broke apart was equivalent to 300 tons of TNT, causing the widespread loud explosion and vibrations. However, this fireball was not related to any ongoing meteor showers. NASA confirmed it was a natural space object, not space debris or a falling satellite.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency disclosed that public safety officials received reports from residents in the eastern part of the state about the loud explosion and widespread tremors. However, there were no initial emergency calls to police or fire departments related to this event.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) explained that this event was a "sonic boom," a shockwave caused by an object moving faster than the speed of sound, believed to be an "exploding meteor." This differs from an earthquake, which originates from a point beneath the Earth's surface. The shockwave from the sonic boom follows a straight path along the object's trajectory in the atmosphere. They confirmed that no earthquake occurred and no object struck the ground during this incident.
Looking back, a similar meteor explosion caused major damage in 2013 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. At that time, a space rock the size of a house exploded in the air at an altitude of 14 miles, releasing an enormous amount of energy equivalent to 440,000 tons of TNT. The resulting air blast shattered windows over an area of more than 518 square kilometers, injuring over 1,600 people with glass shards.