“The meteor appears to [have] fragmented at an altitude of 40 miles over northeast MA and southeast New Hampshire,” wrote NASA. “The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which accounts for the loud noise.”

It sounded like an explosion. For some, it felt like one. Just after 2 p.m. on May 30, residents across Massachusetts—and well beyond—were jolted by a sudden, thunderous boom that rattled homes and sh...

The USGS map of reports show that the bolide explosion was widely felt from southern New Hampshire to Rhode Island.