FIREBALL

Fireball near New Bedford, Massachusetts

Map: Fireball near New Bedford, Massachusetts

A fireball, a small asteroid burning up in the atmosphere, exploded about 33 mi (53 km) northeast of New Bedford, Massachusetts on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at 18:06 UTC, about 32 km (20 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 1,100 tons of TNT. Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy1,100 t TNT
Altitude32 km · 20 mi
Location42.0°N 70.5°W
Time (UTC)May 30 18:06
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How big was it?

Most fireballs come from rocks a meter or a few meters across. The 2013 Chelyabinsk fireball over Russia, about 440 kilotons, was the largest in a century; it shattered windows across the city. Most land over the ocean, unseen.

Did you know?

Mini-moons. Earth sometimes captures a small asteroid as a temporary mini-moon for a few months, as with 2024 PT5 in late 2024.

Data: NASA JPL CNEOS fireball reports, from U.S. government sensors.

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