A meteor exploded off the coast of Massachusetts on 30 May, sending a loud boom across parts of northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire. NASA said the object broke apart over the region and fell into the waters of Cape Cod Bay.
The blast was strong enough to get people looking up and reaching for an explanation. NASA estimated the meteor released energy equal to about 300 tons of TNT, a level that turned a routine streak of light into a sound event heard on the ground.
NASA said the meteor appears to have fragmented at an altitude of 40 miles over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire. It then dropped into Cape Cod Bay, ending whatever path it had taken through the atmosphere before it reached the water.
That matters because most meteors burn up harmlessly, and people who hear a boom usually do not expect the source to be a rock from space. This time, the object broke up with enough force to create a sonic shock wave, but no injuries were reported.
The unanswered piece is the simplest one: how large the meteor was, and what it was made of before it broke apart. For now, the confirmed part of the story is the aftermath — a brief but powerful burst over New England States, a splashdown in Cape Cod Bay, and no damage to people.
