The tranquil atmosphere of New England was disrupted over the weekend by a startling double boom that rattled homes and sent pets scrambling for cover. This unexpected event sparked a flurry of inquiries on social media.
“Did anyone else hear that boom?” asked one puzzled resident.
“Anyone feel that?” echoed another.
Over the weekend, NASA identified the source of the disturbance as a meteor. However, on Monday, they disclosed even more remarkable information about the incident.
The meteor, traveling at a staggering speed of 42,000 mph (67,592.5 kph), was about the size of an elephant and measured 5 feet (1.52 meters) in width. It disintegrated miles above New England on Saturday, releasing energy equivalent to approximately 230 tons of TNT, which explains the explosive sounds heard.
These astonishing details were shared by NASA in a social media update on Monday, accompanied by additional statistics about this celestial event.
The meteor was made up of natural material — not a satellite or space debris — and traveled through the atmosphere for about 26 miles (41.8 kilometers), according to NASA, before falling into Cape Cod Bay, which sits along southeastern Massachusetts.
The agency was quick to point out that meteors are very common, but typically don’t have as big of an audience as this one.
“They often occur over the ocean or unpopulated areas with no witnesses, or during the daytime, making them difficult to spot,” according to NASA.
The event prompted widespread speculation initially.
The rattling boom had some people in Massachusetts and Rhode Island thinking there had been an earthquake or that a tree had fallen. Others posted that their dogs were freaking out. At least one person posed the possibility of aliens.
A man in Peabody, Massachusetts, posted that it had been a windy day, so he thought a large tree had hit his house. When he came outside, he said, he found most of his neighbors in the street asking the same questions.
Several people filed reports with the U.S. Geological Survey, registering the shaking they felt with the National Earthquake Information Center, Steve Sobie, an agency spokesman, confirmed.
The agency opened an event page, based on the number of “Did you feel it?” reports it received on its website. But Sobie said there was no event registered on the agency’s seismographs. meaning the shaking was not due to an earthquake.
The American Meteor Society received dozens of reports from Delaware to Montreal with people either hearing the double boom, feeling the ground shake or seeing the fireball, its program monitor, Robert Lunsford, said.
