It is a direct result of the operation of an aircraft cruising at supersonic speed in the atmosphere.
Military aircraft are the major producer of sonic booms.
Among civil aircraft, only few operational Concordes produce booms. Sonic boom is the result of an observer sensing the passage of the pressure or shock wave that any finite body causes when it travels through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. The impulse sounds like a short sharp crack of thunder. This page was produced by Wilson Liu for the Database for Use in Schools project. All views expressed in this page and all others for this project are the views of the author and not necessarily that of Southampton University.