Sonic Booms and a Massive Fireball Had Massachusetts Residents on Alert Over the Weekend

People living in and around Massachusetts were in for a scary afternoon on Saturday, May 30, 2026. That's because around 2:00 p.m. local time, a loud explosion was heard in the area, which reportedly caused homes to shake, windows to rattle, and pets to hide in fear.

However, the boom wasn't actually anything to be scared of, since officials have confirmed that the loud noise was from a fireball that streaked across the sky, a view that was seen across multiple states in the region.

But, even though scientists have confirmed that a meteor hit Massachusetts over the weekend, they are still working to piece together exactly what happened, and the precise path the fireball took before it finally broke apart in the Earth's atmosphere.

Curious to know what they think happened? Keep reading to learn all about the explosive weekend meteor that had hundreds of people in the region concerned about what was behind the startling sights and sounds produced by the space rock.

The meteor exploded off the coast of Massachusetts around 2:11 p.m. EST, according to CBS News. The publication notes that people from places like Boston and Johnston, Rhode Island called into the local news station to report what had happened.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used satellite lightning data to piece together exactly what happened, according to CBS News, which is how they know that the meteor likely started somewhere near the South Shore.

Later, NASA was reportedly able to confirm the meteor's arrival, claiming that it was about 5 feet in diameter and had a mass of 5.6 metric tons on Twitter. Not only that, but the space agency believes that the meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere at a profound speed, reaching around 42,000 miles per hour before it broke up, spilling pieces of the meteor into Cape Cod Bay.

But, experts warn against looking for remains of the space rock, since it's unlikely that any of it will be recovered.

According to a local NBC News station, the noise everyone heard was actually a sonic boom. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) registered the event, opening up a request that allowed people to report when and where they heard the boom.

If you've never heard the sound, NASA says it sounds an awful lot like the sound of thunder. However, the noise is created when an object moves faster than sound. And while meteors can create these kind of booms, they are hardly the only thing that can.

For example, supersonic flights of aircraft can create the noise, as can supersonic bullets.

Those close to the noise have described it as sounding more like an explosion than a thunder clap, and say that sometimes they can produce enough energy to actually shake structures, like what happened in Massachusetts.

Of course, knowing what the noise is makes it a lot less scary, but we have to assume that people are generally worried when they hear a sonic boom without knowing it's coming.