StarTalk Radio Things You Thought You Knew – Sonic BOOM!
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Mar 24, 2026 They explain what creates a sonic boom and how shockwaves form when something breaks the sound barrier. They explore why the hottest part of the day and summer often lag behind peak sunlight. They unpack what drives wind, from local pressure imbalances to hurricanes and planetary differences like Mars and Venus.
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How Sonic Booms Form
- A sonic boom is a shockwave formed when an object travels faster than sound, compressing all previously emitted sound into a trailing wall.
- Neil de Grasse Tyson explains the Mach transition using an airplane outrunning its own sound and creating a concentrated audible "wall."
Salisbury Cathedral Organ Beat RAF Sonic Booms
- Neil tells a (possibly apocryphal) story about Salisbury Cathedral where organ low C produced more vibration energy than nearby RAF sonic booms.
- The comparison ended concerns because the organ's low notes delivered greater vibrational energy than the booms did.
Light Booms Are The Electromagnetic Equivalent
- The shockwave principle generalizes: particles exceeding light speed in a medium produce Cherenkov radiation, a "light boom."
- Neil compares supersonic shockwaves to electromagnetic analogues when light speed is slower inside materials like water or glass.