Watch: High-speed meteor blows up in sky, shaking major US city

A meteor exploded in the sky over the US state of Massachusetts, producing a powerful sonic boom that shook homes, rattled windows, and startled residents across the region, according to preliminary reports.

The space rock was travelling at an estimated speed of around 75,000 miles per hour when it entered Earth’s atmosphere on Saturday and disintegrated mid-air, releasing energy equivalent to approximately 300 tonnes of TNT.

Residents across Massachusetts reported hearing a sudden loud bang at around 2:11pm Eastern Time (7:11pm BST), with the shockwave felt across multiple towns. Witnesses also reported seeing a bright fireball streak across the sky shortly before the explosion.

WATCH: 3-foot wide meteor enters atmosphere near Massachusetts and New Hampshire border causing loud boom over Boston pic.twitter.com/rP1uJHIKTj

— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) May 31, 2026

The American Meteor Society said dozens of sightings were reported across several US states, as the object moved along a visible trajectory before breaking apart.

Satellite lightning data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggested the meteor likely entered the atmosphere over Massachusetts’ South Shore near Boston. NASA confirmed that the object fragmented at an altitude of about 40 miles above the border region of northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire.

NASA noted that meteors can travel between 25,000 and 160,000 miles per hour and often burn up in the atmosphere. However, larger objects can produce shockwaves that reach the ground as sonic booms.

The US Geological Survey explained that unlike earthquakes, which originate from fixed underground points, sonic booms travel along a linear path through the atmosphere.

Experts said further analysis is needed to determine the meteor’s exact origin, suggesting it may be a fragment of an asteroid or another small celestial body.

Similar meteor-related sonic booms have been reported across the United States in recent months, including events in Ohio and Texas. The American Meteor Society is currently studying whether there has been an unusual increase in fireball activity during 2026.