Mystery Solved: Exploding Meteor Behind Boom Heard Across New York

Loud Boom Heard Over New York

On the morning of St. Patrick's Day 2026, March 17th, some Western New Yorker's reported hearing a loud boom.

Now, this wasn't your typical boom that people write about in those local Facebook groups. This boom had a little more umph to it.

The boom was also hear in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Delaware, and Illinois. Some folks also caught a suspicious streak of light across that sky.

What could it be?

NASA Confirms Boom Heard in New York Was Exploding Meteor

As rumors swirled about what the boom could have been caused by, NASA got to the bottom of it.

According to the NASA website there were many witnesses 11 states and in Canada, including in New York. Reports were filed on the American Meteor Society website and many of the claims explained "a very bright daylight fireball" was seen in the sky.

It turns out that this fireball was a meteor. It was detected by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper and on cameras across Ohio.

NASA writes:

The asteroid unleashed an energy of 250 tons of TNT when it fragmented, resulting in a pressure wave which propagated to the ground, causing the booms and explosive noises heard by many of the public.

It simpler terms, the boom was caused by the meteor breaking the sound barrier.

The meteor was first seen 50 miles above Lake Erie and near the beaches in northern Ohio. It seems that's where much of the meteor activity was seen.

NASA reports:

 The fragments continued on to the south, producing meteorites in the vicinity of Medina County, Ohio.

 

Look Up! When Will You See the Next Full Moon?

You never know what you're going to see fly across the sky.

With that being said, we do have a little insight into what to expect with the moon over the next few months. Take a look at the full moon schedule (including blood moons) for 2026 below: