sonic booms

Supersonic aircraft noise

A sonic boom is the explosive sound produced when an object travels faster than the speed of sound.

The shock wave created by supersonic aircraft, rockets, or other fast-moving objects reaches the ground as a sudden, thunder-like crack or double bang.

The fighter jet's sonic boom rattled windows across the valley.

Sonic booms cannot be heard by the pilot—they trail behind the aircraft.

Related

aircraft · jet fighter · noise pollution · whip · Chuck Yeager · test pilot · aerodynamics · compression · amplitude · psychoacoustics · attenuation · Doppler effect · thunder · flight test · air show · resonance · deafening · fluid dynamics

Categories
Opposites
sound intensity/volume

sonic boomssilence

Total lack of sound

quiet · stillness · hush · whisper · murmur

speed-related phenomena

sonic boomsstandstill

Total cessation of movement

slow motion · stasis · crawl · cruising speed · idle

acoustic character

sonic boomswhite noise

Constant random sound

background noise · ambient sound · lullaby · soothing sounds · birdsong

Family

sound, boom, booming, booms, sonorous, sonic, resonate, boomed, supersonic

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G