Harvard University astrophysicists Steven Africk and Abraham Loeb submitted a scientific study determining that the meteor explosion heard across the Boston area detonated high in the atmosphere rather than upon ocean impact. The analysis evaluated pressure waves recorded by local acoustic stations to pinpoint the origin and energy profile of the event.
According to the findings, the acoustic signals discarded the possibility that an ocean splash in Cape Cod Bay generated the primary shock wave, establishing that the atmospheric fireball exploded at an altitude of approximately 50 kilometers. In their manuscript summary, Steven Africk and Abraham Loeb stated: “The infrasound event is determined to be the atmospheric fireball blast at between 40 and 50 km in altitude with acoustic energy on the order of 5 – 14% of the total fireball energy.”
Acoustic measurements across the Boston metropolitan network
Seven Raspberry Boom citizen sensors installed at educational institutions and private residences across Greater Boston detected double-cycle infrasound pulses at a frequency of 0.4 Hz. Peak pressure amplitudes across the stations ranged between 1 and 50 Pa, driven by atmospheric compression from the shock wave. The SomervilleL sensor measured a peak-to-peak amplitude of 41 Pa, logging its first acoustic peak at 18:11:36 UTC, roughly five minutes after the object breached the upper atmosphere.
Calculations based on a representative peak pressure of 20 Pascals indicated an acoustic energy release of 2×10^11 Joules. Avi Loeb, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and leader of the Galileo Project, noted: “The fraction of the blast energy converted to the infrasound pulse can be estimated based on the measured pressures. Using a representative peak pressure of 20 Pascals we find an acoustic energy release of 2×10^{11} Joules, which is about 4% of the total fireball energy, as expected theoretically. This agreement rules out the ocean splash scenario.”
Boston meteor: records from atmospheric blast to paper submission
- 30 de maio de 2026 — At 18:06 UTC, a bolide explodes over Cape Cod Bay at an altitude of 50 km, producing a sonic boom registered by weather radar and NASA ARES as Event 3867.
- 30 de maio de 2026 — At 18:11:36 UTC, the SomervilleL station logs the first pressure peak of the 0.4 Hz infrasound signal five minutes after detonation.
- quinta-feira, 24 de setembro de 2026 — Steven Africk and Abraham Loeb submit their scientific paper and release the acoustic evaluation of the blast.
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Ballistic fragmentation and Galileo Project monitoring
The total mass of the surviving fragments was estimated at 560 kg, a volume that researchers demonstrated could not have produced the recorded acoustic signature upon hitting the water without exceeding the entry velocity of the object itself. The geometry and relatively tight spacing of the monitoring stations throughout the Boston area successfully identified the direction of the blast path, although the sensor distribution lacked the geographic baseline required for precise distance triangulation.
The acoustic tracking methods developed for this event are intended for application by Galileo Project observatories to identify, separate, and track Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. The scientific manuscript detailing the findings was submitted to the journal Sensors on 24 de setembro de 2026, and formal peer-review evaluation remains underway.