A meteor that entered the atmosphere over Massachusetts over the weekend triggered reports of loud booms and bright fireball sightings across New England and into Canada, according to experts.
Meteor Details and Sightings
The American Meteor Society reported that the meteor measured approximately 3 feet (1 meter) in diameter as it entered the atmosphere near the New Hampshire border with Massachusetts, north of Boston. NASA officials confirmed the object was natural material, not a satellite or space debris, and that it entered the atmosphere at 2:06 p.m. on Saturday.
Robert Lunsford, program monitor for the American Meteor Society, stated that the organization received dozens of reports from Delaware to Montreal. Witnesses described hearing a double boom, feeling the ground shake, or seeing the fireball, which appeared as a shooting star in the daytime sky.
Impact and Sonic Boom
The double boom reportedly shook buildings across Massachusetts into Rhode Island. A dashboard camera in New York captured the meteor streaking across the sky. Lunsford noted that the meteor was larger than a typical fireball, about a yard wide, but added that it likely did not strike the ground. "We would need more information about the trajectory, the speed, and other aspects to know for sure if it hit the ground – but if it didn't burn up, then it would have landed in the ocean," he explained. "Most of them do burn up before they hit the ground."
NASA spokesperson Allard Beutel said the meteor was traveling at approximately 75,000 mph (120,700 km/h) and likely fragmented about 40 miles (60 km) above the ground. Meteors travel faster than the speed of sound, creating pressure waves as they burn and break apart, which can produce a loud sonic boom heard on the ground.
Energy Released and Shaking Reports
NASA estimated that the energy released when the meteor broke up was equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, accounting for the booms. People in several states posted on social media about feeling buildings shake. Videos on the X platform captured what sounded like two quick booms, with no fire, smoke, or other visual causes.
Steve Sobie, a spokesperson for the U.S. Geological Survey, confirmed that several people filed reports with the agency, registering the shaking they felt with the National Earthquake Information Center. The agency opened an event page based on the number of "Did you feel it?" reports received on its website. However, Sobie noted that no event was registered on the agency's seismographs, meaning the shaking was not due to an earthquake.
