Share and Follow
(WPRI) — A resounding boom echoed across the skies of Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon, capturing the attention of residents throughout Southern New England.
At approximately 2:10 p.m., Nexstar’s 12 News began receiving numerous reports from individuals in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with some residents describing how their homes trembled from the impact.
Later that evening, NASA confirmed what many had speculated—a “bright fireball” was indeed a meteor. According to NASA’s alert, this celestial event was observed by numerous people in the area.
NASA detailed that the meteor disintegrated at an altitude of 40 miles, straddling the area between northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire. The energy unleashed during its fragmentation was likened to the detonation of approximately 300 tons of TNT, which explained the loud sound that accompanied the event.
The agency further noted that the meteor was hurtling through the atmosphere at an astonishing speed of about 75,000 miles per hour.
NASA added that the fireball was not associated with any currently active meteor shower, but was a natural object and not a re-entry of space debris or a satellite.
In a statement Saturday afternoon, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security released a statement explaining that while the exact cause of the boom is not yet known, local emergency services don’t believe there is any public safety threat.
The EOPSS continued: “We remain in contact with our local, state, and federal partners to monitor any impact and understand the cause when it becomes available.”