Meteor explosion causes loud booms, blast equal to 300 tonnes of TNT over US

 A meteor exploded over the northeastern United States on Saturday afternoon, creating loud booms that were heard across parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

According to NASA, the explosion released energy equal to about 300 metric tonnes of Trinitrotoluene (TNT), making it powerful enough to be heard and felt by many residents in the region. 

The fireball broke apart at approximately 2.06 pm (local time). over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire. NASA reported that the meteor was traveling at more than 1,20,000 kilometers per hour when it entered Earth's atmosphere. It exploded at an altitude of about 65 kilometers above the ground.

NASA Deputy News Chief Jennifer Dooren reportedly said that the object was a natural meteor. She explained that it was not related to any active meteor shower and was also not space debris or a satellite re-entering the atmosphere. Scientists determined that the object came from space naturally and burned up as it traveled through Earth's atmosphere.

As the meteor moved at extremely high speed, friction with the atmosphere caused it to heat up and glow brightly, creating a fireball in the sky. Because the meteor exploded high above the Earth, most of its material likely burned up before reaching the ground. Scientists monitor such events to better understand near-Earth objects and their behavior when entering the atmosphere.

Most of the meteors burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere, scientists continue to track and study them to improve understanding of these natural phenomena.