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As an object travel through the air, air molecules are pushed aside with great force and creates pressure waves similar to bow waves formed in front of a boat in water, NASA said.

When the object breaks the sound barrier, the pressure wave becomes a shockwave, which forms a cone of pressurized air molecules moving outward in all directions. As the cone expands across the landscape along the flight path, it creates a continuous sonic boom.

The sharp release of pressure after the buildup from the shockwave is the roaring noise people hear as the sonic boom, according to NASA.

All supersonic aircraft generate two cones, NASA said. They are usually similar in strength, and the time interval between the two is dependent on the size and altitude of the aircraft. Most people cannot differentiate between the two, and the noise is typically heard as one sonic boom.

A larger, heavier aircraft will create louder, stronger sonic booms because it must displace more air.

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