Sonic booms from meteors can release the energy of hundreds of tons of TNT – here’s how they work

As humans, we live out our lives on a planet that is constantly sweeping through a cosmic ocean littered with ancient debris from the formation of the solar system. For the most part, our world glides silently through space, shielded by Earth’s thin atmosphere. Occasionally, however, the rest of the universe reminds us of its presence with stunning, visceral clarity. Residents along the Massachusetts–New Hampshire border were startled by a sudden sonic boom on the afternoon of May 30, 2026. A large number of people up and down the Eastern Seaboard witnessed it. After NASA analyzed imagery from weather satellites, they identified the culprit as a small meteor measuring roughly 3 to 5 feet (1 to 2 meters) across. It was screaming through space at an astonishing 42,000 miles per hour (68,000 kilometers per hour) when it plunged into Earth’s upper atmosphere. Friction between the meteor and the increasingly dense air quickly turned the kinetic energy of the rock shooting through the sky into blistering heat. At an altitude of roughly 40 miles (60 kilometers), the immense heat and pressure overcame the structural integrity of the meteor, causing it to fragment in a brilliant flash. The breakup released a staggering…

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