Thread: Sonic Boom!

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Cool thread O . I'm actually a little surprised that you could hear the space shuttle's sonic boom from so close to the runway, I would have thought that the shuttle would have been well subsonic by then... I know that you guys can hear it when it takes off though.

Anyways, I've only heard a sonic boom once, from a CF-18 flying overhead at about 10 000 feet, one of the loudest things I ever heard... It wasn't supposed to be doing that too, if I recall, you aren't allowed to fly supersonic over urban areas here, and you must stay above 30 000 feet anywhere else. I've also seen the cool visual effects on planes like in Burns' pic. The technical name is "Prandtl-Glauert singularity", but all it really is is a cloud formed by a sudden drop in pressure on the leading edge of the supersonic cone.

Also, thunder is actually a sonic boom too . The ionized air becomes superheated and expands at supersonic speeds.


Cool videos :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEftDfjzNRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VzVjcBKs-o

Weird experiment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahom...nic_boom_tests

I saw that first video before. Those are badass.
Amazingly enough, though, I can't hear any sonic boom from the shuttle, when it takes off, only when the orbiter comes back down to Earth.

I hear a lot of crazy stuff since I live inbetween 2 of the largest military bases in the country. Everyday I hear tons of bombs, and a few times a year I hear a sonic boom. They are hella crazy and shake my windows a lot.

If you have heard of MOAB- Mother of All Bombs, it is even louder than a sonic boom. I almost get airborn from how powerful it is. lol.

I was inside work today though, so if it was noticable around here in the panhandle, I missed it.

Originally Posted by Michael

I hear a lot of crazy stuff since I live inbetween 2 of the largest military bases in the country. Everyday I hear tons of bombs, and a few times a year I hear a sonic boom. They are hella crazy and shake my windows a lot.

If you have heard of MOAB- Mother of All Bombs, it is even louder than a sonic boom. I almost get airborn from how powerful it is. lol.

I was inside work today though, so if it was noticable around here in the panhandle, I missed it.

O.o I've never heard the MOAB, but i live by the Ocala National Forest Bombing range.

Originally Posted by Seismosaur

Ocala National Forest Bombing range.

Hahaha, the US government, turning prized natural reserves into parking lots since 1776...

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Hahaha, the US government, turning prized natural reserves into parking lots since 1776...

I drove right past it too. There is just a fence with signs that have sonic and laser warning on them.

Yeah, that's right up where my friends and I went camping. I didn't realize you lived so close, Seis.