A meteor heading toward Earth exploded over the northeastern United States yesterday Saturday and unleashed a series of booms that were heard in the region with a power equivalent to 300 tons of TNT, NASA reported.

The fireball disintegrated over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire at 2:06 p.m. local time (6:06 p.m. GMT), the space agency's deputy press director, Jennifer Dooren, said in a statement.

“This fireball was not associated with any currently active meteor shower, but it was a natural object and not the re-entry of space debris or a satellite,” he said.

“It is estimated that the energy released in the disintegration was equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which explains the loud booms.”

The meteor was traveling at more than 120,000 kilometers per hour at an altitude of more than 60 kilometers when it disintegrated.

Residents in the area were alarmed by the unexpected noises, and users on social media reported that they were so powerful that some houses shook.