Massachusetts: Residents across parts of New England were left startled over the weekend after a powerful double boom shook homes, rattled windows and sent many people searching for answers online.
As reports poured onto social media with users asking whether others had heard the loud explosion or felt the ground tremble, scientists soon identified the source. NASA confirmed that the disturbance was caused by a meteor streaking through Earth's atmosphere.
On Monday, the space agency released new details about the dramatic event, revealing the extraordinary size, speed and power of the incoming space rock.
According to NASA, the fireball measured roughly five feet (1.52 metres) across and weighed about as much as an elephant.
The meteor was travelling at approximately 42,000 mph (67,592.5 kph) when it entered Earth's atmosphere above New England on Saturday.
As it plunged through the sky, the object eventually broke apart miles above the region. NASA estimated that the energy released during the breakup was equivalent to around 230 tonnes of TNT, generating the sonic booms heard across several states.
The agency shared the findings in a social media post on Monday, along with additional statistics about the event.
Natural space rock fell into Cape Cod Bay
NASA said the object consisted of natural material and was not a satellite or any form of human-made space debris.
The meteor travelled through the atmosphere for approximately 26 miles (41.8 kilometres) before ultimately falling into Cape Cod Bay in southeastern Massachusetts.
While the event attracted widespread public attention, NASA noted that meteors entering Earth's atmosphere are not unusual.
Why most meteors go unnoticed
The agency explained that similar events occur frequently but are often missed by the public.
According to NASA, many meteors pass over oceans or sparsely populated regions where there are few witnesses. Others occur during daylight hours, making them difficult to see.
As a result, only a small number attract the level of public attention generated by Saturday's fireball.
Boom triggers earthquake and alien speculation
Before NASA confirmed the cause, residents offered a wide range of theories about what had happened.
Many people in Massachusetts and Rhode Island initially believed an earthquake had struck. Others suspected a large tree had fallen nearby, while several pet owners reported that their dogs became frightened by the sudden noise.
At least one social media user even suggested that aliens could be responsible.
A resident of Peabody, Massachusetts, said the area had experienced strong winds earlier in the day, leading him to believe a large tree had crashed into his home.
However, when he stepped outside, he found neighbours gathered in the street, all trying to determine the source of the mysterious boom.
No earthquake detected, says US geological survey
The loud noise and shaking prompted several residents to submit reports to the National Earthquake Information Center through the US Geological Survey's reporting system.
Steve Sobie, a spokesman for the agency, confirmed that multiple reports were received from people who felt the ground shake.
The volume of submissions led the agency to create an event page based on the number of "Did You Feel It?" reports filed on its website.
Despite the public reaction, Sobie said there was no seismic activity recorded by the agency's instruments. The absence of any signal on seismographs confirmed that the disturbance was not caused by an earthquake.
Reports stretch from Delaware to Montreal
The unusual event was also tracked by the American Meteor Society.
Robert Lunsford, the organisation's programme monitor, said dozens of reports were submitted from locations ranging from Delaware in the United States to Montreal in Canada.
Witnesses reported hearing the distinctive double boom, feeling vibrations beneath their feet or seeing the bright fireball streak across the sky.
The widespread observations highlighted the scale of the meteor event, which briefly transformed an ordinary weekend into a mystery that captured attention across the northeastern United States and parts of Canada.
Agency inputs