When the tweet first mentioned loud explosions happening around Boston, my heart sank: was this another terror attack? Thankfully, we now know it wasn't, thank God. It was a meteor. I’m not joking. And no, it wasn’t something out of Armageddon, but it’s still pretty interesting now that we know it was a natural event and no one was hurt (via CBS News):
A meteor exploded off the coast of Massachusetts, causing a loud boom to be heard throughout the state Saturday afternoon, according to WBZ-TV chief meteorologist Eric Fisher.
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.
Reports over the last few minutes of a large explosion heard throughout Boston and several other townships in Eastern Massachusetts.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 30, 2026
MYSTERY SOLVED: The boom that rattled Massachusetts Saturday was caused by a 3-foot wide meteor entering the atmosphere, the American Meteor Society says. pic.twitter.com/mXDGGe44bj
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) May 30, 2026
There were similar noises heard in South Carolina this week, too, by the way (via The State):
A loud booming noise startled many South Carolina residents as they were getting home from work late Thursday afternoon, raising questions about what caused the sound and shaking that hit parts of Columbia. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the phenomenon is consistent with a sonic boom, instead of an earthquake like those that have been recorded in the state this year.
Sonic booms can occur when aircraft, meteorites or other rapidly moving objects exceed the speed of sound. But the source of the booming sound was still unknown Friday afternoon. Shaw Air Force Base, one of the biggest military installations in central South Carolina, said it had no aircraft in the area of Columbia where the boom was reportedly centered.
As long as it’s not terrorism, we’re good.
I’m heading a meteor hit Boston. What?
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 30, 2026
Re: mysterious boom felt in Massachusetts around 45 minutes ago, interestingly there was also a mysterious boom felt in South Carolina on Thursday. There seems to still be uncertainty about what exactly caused that as well. Article below talks about SC boom being possibly a…
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) May 30, 2026