Top 5 Things You Need to Know About the Meteor That Shook Boston
- It was a massive fireball: Around 12:30 a.m., a meteor streaked across the Boston sky, visible from New Hampshire to Cape Cod. Witnesses described a bright green flash that lit up the night, followed by a loud sonic boom that shook homes and rattled windows, sparking a frenzy on social media.
- NASA confirmed it was a natural event: The American Meteor Society received hundreds of reports, and NASA's Meteor Watch team quickly verified the meteor, estimating it was traveling at roughly 33,000 mph before breaking apart over the Atlantic Ocean, about 50 miles east of Boston.
- No threat, but debris may exist: Experts stress the fireball posed no danger to people on the ground, but small meteorite fragments may have splashed into the ocean. Don't expect to find pieces on land—this one vaporized high in the atmosphere.
- Social media went wild: Hash tags like #BostonMeteor and #MeteorBoston trended within minutes, with clips from doorbell cameras and dashcams going viral. One user's video of a sudden daylight-bright flash in an otherwise dark yard has been shared over a million times.
- What to do if you see the next one: If you spot a fireball, report it to the American Meteor Society immediately. Scientists use these reports to triangulate paths and locate potential meteorites—plus, your sighting helps track future "meteor boston" events for research.