Sonic boom

A sonic boom is created when an object travels faster than the speed of sound. When an airplane reaches the speed of sound, it makes a bang sound or an explosive noise that can be seen with the naked eye. This is often called "breaking the sound barrier." The visible part of a sonic boom is actually air that becomes squashed by sound waves. The thunder that a storm makes is also a sonic boom caused by lightning forcing air to move faster than the speed of sound.[1][2]

A sonic boom can be seen with the naked eye.

The first plane to fly at a level altitude above the speed of sound was the Bell X-1 in 1947 and was piloted by Chuck Yeager.

References
  1. Wragg, David W. (1973). A Dictionary of Aviation (first ed.). Osprey. p. 246. ISBN 9780850451634.
  2. "The Science of Thunder". Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2008-06-17.


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