NASA Reveals The Cause Of Loud Boom Heard In Massachusetts

Residents in Massachusetts were quite concerned after hearing a loud boom on Saturday afternoon.

Authorities in Massachusetts and several Boston news stations received calls from concerned residents who reported hearing loud booms shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday.

NASA has since responded to the reports and revealed the loud booms stemmed from a meteor that broke up into fragments.

CBS News broke the story and shared the following details:

A meteor exploded off the coast of Massachusetts, causing a loud boom that could be heard throughout the state Saturday afternoon, according to WBZ-TV chief meteorologist Eric Fisher. NASA said the energy released when the meteor broke up was equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT.

It was heard around 2:11 p.m. Eastern Time, with people describing a sudden bang that rattled windows, startled pets, and even shook some homes. Dozens of phone calls came into the WBZ-TV newsroom reporting a loud explosion heard around Boston, as far as Ipswich and Johnston, Rhode Island.

According to preliminary reports submitted to the American Meteor Society, dozens of people across the Northeast reported seeing the fireball around 2 p.m. Saturday. Sightings stretched across multiple states, helping scientists piece together the meteor’s path through the atmosphere.

Here are some videos that captured the boom:

🚨 WOW! Another video of the “explosion” in the Boston area really captures how LOUD the boom was

It’s looking like the cause was a “significant” meteor crashing through the atmosphere and burning up, as indicated by heat signatures via satellite, per @NStewWX

This has not yet… pic.twitter.com/qYhdxN0yDc

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 30, 2026

A meteor exploded off the coast of Massachusetts, causing a loud boom to be heard throughout the state and as far as Rhode Island on Saturday.

According to preliminary reports submitted to the American Meteor Society, dozens of people across the Northeast reported seeing the… pic.twitter.com/rjxip8Prqq

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 30, 2026

WGBH reported there was no public threat:

In a statement shortly after the incident, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency acknowledged widespread reports of an audible boom and ground tremors.

“Although we do not yet know the cause, there are no known emergency police or fire requests connected to these reports, and we do not believe that there is any public safety threat,” the statement read. “We remain in contact with our local, state, and federal partners to monitor any impact and understand the cause when it becomes available.”

One resident was able to capture the meteor on video: