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Cape Cod Bay meteor likely came from a distant, comet-like orbit, researchers say
A study reconstructing the May 30 fireball’s path estimates it burst about 21 miles above Massachusetts with energy comparable to roughly 500 tons of TNT. Researchers say fragments likely fell into Cape Cod Bay, though the meteoroid’s precise makeup and landing locations remain uncertain.
A bright meteor that rattled homes across parts of New England on May 30 likely broke apart above Cape Cod Bay, scattering several small fragments into the water, according to a new reconstruction by researchers.
The team estimates the explosion occurred about 21 miles above the ground and released energy equivalent to roughly 500 tons of TNT. The analysis also suggests the object traveled on an orbit resembling those of Jupiter-family comets, despite likely originating as a fragment from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Researchers pieced together the event using data from multiple sensors, dashcams and security cameras, four weather radars and a radar at MIT’s Haystack Observatory in Westford. Those observations helped them estimate the meteor’s trajectory, energy release and likely landing area.
The evidence points to a dense, mechanically strong object that may have been rich in iron, the researchers concluded. They found no clear link to a parent asteroid or a meteor shower, suggesting it was an isolated object.
The fireball was seen by some residents, while thousands of people heard the sonic boom. The estimated impact energy was similar to that of a 2008 meteor over Sudan and about one-quarter of the energy released by the 2012 Sutter’s Mill meteor over California and Nevada. Researchers said only three recorded events in 2025 had greater impact energies than the Cape Cod event.
The landing area remains an estimate: the study places likely fragments in Cape Cod Bay, but does not identify specific recovery sites.