Can there be a sonic boom in space?

Yes! As the Space Shuttle re-enters the atmosphere at supersonic speeds, it creates shock waves which produce sonic booms. In fact, you’ll hear not one, but two sonic booms!

Is there a light boom like a sonic boom?

Objects cannot travel faster than c, the speed of light in vacuum (see the FAQ article on faster-than-light travel). But for light there is no ether to act as a medium being pushed aside like the air that is pushed by an aircraft. The result is that there is no equivalent of a sonic boom for light moving in a vacuum.

Can any object create a sonic boom?

A sonic boom does not occur only at the moment an object crosses the speed of sound; and neither is it heard in all directions emanating from the supersonic object. Rather the boom is a continuous effect that occurs while the object is travelling at supersonic speeds.

Why do we not have sonic booms anymore?

Why don’t we ever hear sonic booms any more? Noise abatement regulations halted supersonic flight (by civil aircraft) over U.S. land. The Concorde could still take off and land here because it broke the sound barrier over the ocean, but it’s no longer in service.

Is there a sonic boom at Mach 2?

A speed of Mach 2 would be twice the speed of sound. As long as an airplane travels at Mach 1 or faster, it will generate a continuous sonic boom. All those in a narrow path below the airplane’s flight path will be able to hear the sonic boom as it passes overhead. This path is known as the “boom carpet.”

Can you break the light barrier?

The speed of light in air is slightly less than the speed of light in vacuum, so objects can actually break the light barrier in air without going faster than the fundamental limit of the speed of light in vacuum. When these particles hit earth’s atmosphere, they are known as cosmic rays.

Does lightning make a sonic boom?

When lightning occurs, it heats the air surrounding its channel to that same incredible temperature in a fraction of a second. This is where air expands so rapidly that it compresses the air in front of it, forming a shock wave similar to a sonic boom. Exploding fireworks produce a similar result.