Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Sound waves pile into a cone that sweeps the ground as a sudden bang. The figure is taken from NASA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a science fact?

Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

A sonic boom trails behind a supersonic aircraft

Sound waves pile into a cone that sweeps the ground as a sudden bang An object moving faster than sound outruns the pressure waves it creates, so they stack into a shock front. That cone travels with the aircraft and reaches listeners as a sharp double bang. The boom happens continuously in flight, not only at the moment the aircraft breaks the sound barrier. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NASA

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: sound, waves, aviation

A sonic boom trails behind a supersonic aircraft: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Sound waves pile into a cone that sweeps the ground as a sudden bang. The figure is taken from NASA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a science fact?: Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.