A loud boom rattled windows and nerves across the Boston area and into Rhode Island on Friday, May 30 — and security cameras caught it. Scientists say the culprit was a suspected meteor that exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the ground.
The sound was picked up on footage from multiple security cameras. No injuries were reported.
What scientists say
When a meteor detonates in the atmosphere rather than hitting the surface, it’s sometimes called a bolide or an airburst. The resulting shockwave can travel for miles, rattling windows and triggering car alarms far from where the object actually broke apart. It’s not rare — but it’s rarely this audible to this many people at once.
Scientists haven’t confirmed the meteor’s size, altitude, or the precise point where it entered the atmosphere. Those details weren’t immediately available Friday night.
What’s clear is the sound reached well beyond the Boston metro. Rhode Island residents reported hearing and feeling it — though no damage has been publicly confirmed as of Friday.
Whether any fragments survived the breakup and reached the ground isn’t yet known.
Originally reported by CBS News. Read the original report.
