2006-07-17 11:49:28 · 15 answers · asked by NumberGuyX 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
but is it true there is no density in space at all?
2006-07-17 14:19:16 · update #1
A sonic boom is a shock wave of high pressure air that is generated when an object moves faster than the speed of sound in the air. Out in space, there is no air, so no boom.
2006-07-17 11:52:51 · answer #1 · answered by crgrier 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's true that space isn't "empty". There is some matter in space, the odd molecule or bit of dust. It is very, very thin. The vacuum of space is a better vacuum than has every been produced on earth.
Still, let's set that aside. We can imagine that we have a spaceship that can go very, very fast. Can we make a "sonic boom"? The answer has to be no. There is not enough matter in space to create a shock wave. The few atoms or molecules or particles of dust that were disturbed or pushed aside by the passage of the ship would still be far too few to register on any pressure gage. I suppose if you were in the right place at the right time with the right equipment, you could do a statistical analysis and determine that more particles than the average just went past, but that wouldn't qualify as a sonic boom.
2006-07-18 00:01:53 · answer #2 · answered by wires 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, there is no such thing as a sonic boom in space, and here's why.
A sonic boom is created when something breaks the sound barrier, or travels faster than the speed of sound. Sound waves require a medium, such as air, to travel in. Since there is no such medium in space, so there is no speed of sound to break, therefore no sonic boom. Remember the line from "Alien"
"In space no one can hear you scream."
2006-07-24 13:58:10 · answer #3 · answered by Bigfoot 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A sonic boom occurs as a craft is reaching the sonic barrier, aka the speed of sound. The speed of sound c can be defined by the equation
c^2 = C/rho
where C is a coefficient of stiffness, and rho is its density. The density of space is zero, therefore by this equation the speed of sound is infinite. Therefore, the speed of sound can not be reached, which means that a sonic boom can't occur in space.
2006-07-17 21:10:04 · answer #4 · answered by ndcardinal3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sonic boom is actually a shock wave traveling in a medium... like air.
simple answer: space has no atmosphere, no atmosphere means no boom.
complex answer: there is stuff in space.. but its really thin. I dont know if it has an effective mach number, although I suspect that it does not. If it did then it could have a boom.. although it wouldnt mean much because very little energy would be stored in it..
Im guessing. Im not in astro.
2006-07-17 18:54:42 · answer #5 · answered by Curly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sound doesn't travel thru' space because most of space is empty. Sound comes about by the vibrations of matter. If there are no matter to transfer the sound energy, there is no sound. No sonic boom in space.
2006-07-17 18:58:27 · answer #6 · answered by trancevanbuuren 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no. a sonic boom requires something to create a boom effect such as air or water.
2006-07-17 18:57:05 · answer #7 · answered by de bossy one 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Space is a vacuum therefore there will be no sonic boom.
2006-07-17 19:20:12 · answer #8 · answered by ObliqueShock_Aerospace_Eng 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope - a sonic boom requires a media (like an atmosphere.)
Without an atmosphere - there is no sound. Without sound, there is no sonic boom.
Remember: in space, nobody can hear you fart.
2006-07-17 18:53:36 · answer #9 · answered by Blim 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kind of. It's when particles approach the speed of light and is the so called Cherenkov radiation although this assumes that there's something there in space in the first place. In reality there is, as space isn't ever empty.
2006-07-17 18:54:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋