A loud boom that rattled homes across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and parts of New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon is increasingly being linked to a meteor explosion over Cape Cod Bay.
According to satellite imagery from NOAA's GOES-19 satellite, a massive atmospheric flash was detected around the same time residents reported hearing an explosion-like sound.
Experts point to a bolide, an exceptionally bright meteor that explodes or fragments while passing through Earth's atmosphere, as the likely cause of the boom.
The resulting shockwave appears to have traveled across a large portion of New England, explaining why the boom was heard over such a wide area.
While officials have not yet released a final determination, the growing body of satellite evidence and expert analysis strongly suggests that a meteor explosion over or near Cape Cod Bay was responsible for Saturday's mysterious boom.
