NASA reports 300-ton explosion as meteor breaks up over US state

Residents across the northeastern United States reported a loud boom resembling an explosion after a meteor disintegrated above Boston. According to NASA, the event released energy equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT.

The GOES-19 satellite recorded a bright fireball on May 30 at 2:06 p.m. Eastern Time. The meteor broke apart at an altitude of roughly 40 miles above northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire.

The sonic boom triggered a wave of social media reports and emergency calls to Boston police. Some residents initially speculated about a nuclear strike or even an alien invasion, prompting officers to be deployed to the Brighton area.

Carl W. Hergenrother, executive director of the American Meteor Society, said cloudy conditions prevented people from seeing the actual cause of the explosion.

By Jeyhun Aghazada