Sonic boom For other uses, see Sonic boom (disambiguation) . The sound source has now broken through the sound speed barrier, and is traveling at 1.4 times the speed of sound, (Mach 1.4). Since the source is moving faster (with a speed )than the sound waves it creates,it actually leads the advancing wavefront. The sound source will pass by a stationary observer (with a speed ) before the observer actually hears the sound it creates. As a result, an observer in front of the source will detect and an observer behind the source . A sonic boom produced by an aircraft moving at M=2.92, calculated from the cone angle of 20 degrees. An observer hears the boom when the shock wave, on the edges of the cone, crosses his or her location. Mach cone angle A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves created by an object traveling through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding much like an explosion . The crack of a supersonic bullet passing overhead is an example of a sonic boom in miniature.

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