Meteor Explodes Over US, Blast Equivalent to 300 Tons of TNT

NASA reported a meteor that entered Earth’s atmosphere and exploded over the northeastern United States on Saturday. The fireball was not associated with any current meteor shower but was a natural object, not space debris or a satellite re-entry, said Jennifer Dooren, NASA’s Deputy Chief News Officer, according to AFP on Sunday (31 May 2026). The energy released upon explosion was estimated at around 300 tons of TNT, explaining the loud blast, she added. She said the fireball exploded over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire at 14:06 (18:06 GMT). NASA confirmed the fireball was a natural object. Dooren stated the meteor was travelling at 75,000 mph (over 120,000 km/h) at an altitude of 40 miles when it exploded. Local residents were alarmed by the unexpected loud blast, with social media users reporting that the explosion was strong enough to shake houses. In 2013, a fireball streaked over Chelyabinsk, Russia. A space rock the size of a house exploded 14 miles above ground, releasing a blast equivalent to 440,000 tons of TNT, according to NASA. The blast shattered windows across an area exceeding 200 square miles (518 square kilometres) and injured over 1,600 people, mostly from broken glass.