<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> 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 significant amounts of sound energy, sounding much like an explosion to the human ear . The crack of a supersonic bullet passing overhead or the crack of a bullwhip are examples of a sonic boom in miniature . </P> <P> When an aircraft passes through the air it creates a series of pressure waves in front of it and behind it, similar to the bow and stern waves created by a boat . These waves travel at the speed of sound and, as the speed of the object increases, the waves are forced together, or compressed, because they cannot get out of the way of each other . Eventually they merge into a single shock wave, which travels at the speed of sound, a critical speed known as Mach 1, and is approximately 1,225 km / h (761 mph) at sea level and 20 ° C (68 ° F). </P>

When does a supersonic aircraft make a sonic boom