A meteor streaked across the sky over the northeastern United States and exploded with the force of 300 tonnes of TNT. The blast rattled parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon. No injuries or damage were reported.
A fireball that shook the ground
The space rock entered the atmosphere at an estimated speed of 38,000 miles per hour. It broke apart roughly 30 miles above the town of New Boston, New Hampshire. The explosion produced a sonic boom that residents described as a deep rumble or a sharp crack. Some people in southern Maine and northern Massachusetts felt their homes shake.
NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office confirmed the event. The agency said the meteor was likely a fragment of an asteroid. It was not large enough to pose a threat to the ground. The blast energy was equivalent to a small nuclear weapon, but all of it was released high in the atmosphere.
Why locals took notice
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a bright fireball in the afternoon sky. Many captured video footage on dashcams and doorbell cameras. Social media lit up with reports of a loud boom and a flash of light. Local police and fire departments received dozens of calls from people who thought an explosion had occurred nearby.
For residents of New England, the event was a rare and startling reminder that space rocks can arrive without warning. The region is not known for frequent meteor sightings. The last notable fireball over the area occurred in 2018.
What the blast means
The meteor’s explosion over a populated region highlights how often Earth is hit by small objects from space. Most go unnoticed because they occur over oceans or remote areas. This one happened in broad daylight over a densely populated part of the United States. Scientists use events like this to refine their models of asteroid impacts and to better understand the risks posed by larger objects.
