A meteor traveling at over 120,000 kilometers per hour exploded over the northeastern United States on Saturday, creating a blast equivalent to 300 tons of TNT.NASA confirmed the fireball disintegrated at an altitude of approximately 40 miles above northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire.

Officials emphasized that the meteor was a natural object, not associated with any active meteor showers, nor a piece of space debris or satellite re-entry.The explosion caused loud booms that were heard across the region, prompting alarm among residents and reports of shaking houses on social media.

While the blast was powerful, it was far smaller than the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor in Russia, which released energy equivalent to 440,000 tons of TNT and injured over 1,600 people.NASA continues to monitor such meteors to improve understanding of their behavior and potential risks to populated areas.