Sonic Boom in CHCH

Hitech · 12-09-2006, 04:07 PM

http://www.telstraclear.co.nz/newsfe....cfm?id=108609

Read this link.

jermsie · 12-09-2006, 04:10 PM

Quite amazing to hear a sonic boom from a meteor. I heard it thinking a petrol tank or something had exploded!

Thomas01 · 12-09-2006, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jermsie

Quite amazing to hear a sonic boom from a meteor. I heard it thinking a petrol tank or something had exploded!

Yes that was my first reaction - somebody locally had done something to a petrol tank or similar. It was a very large bang and apparently heard over a large area of the S.Island.

Space Junk ?
No way.
Man made space junk, and I am assuming that this is what the police mean, is in fact made as light as possible. Can you imagine the size of rocket needed to lift a large solid object able to produce this noise?

Zippity · 12-09-2006, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Can you imagine the size of rocket needed to lift a large solid object able to produce this noise?

I'm sorry.

I can't follow your logic.

pctek · 12-09-2006, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas01

Can you imagine the size of rocket needed to lift a large solid object able to produce this noise?

Sonic booms are caused by objects exceeding the speed of sound. Weight hasn't got a lot to do with it.

mister harbies · 12-09-2006, 07:52 PM

Were the police testing their new tasers in CHCH by any chance?

TideMan · 12-09-2006, 08:00 PM

I was walking down the street.
At first I thought something large had been dropped from a crane, then I realised the whole sky above me was reverberating. Like thunder, but it was a cloudless day. And it went on for several seconds.
Nature's power is awesome, eh?

Jen · 12-09-2006, 08:11 PM

Meteorite fragments could fetch a tidy sum if located. Wonder how many are out there right now looking for the impact area

Or maybe it wasn't meteor after all according to this NZ Herald readers comment:
A dome object like it was silver grey in colour . It appeared instantly a large boom then it simply disappeared.

gibler · 12-09-2006, 09:23 PM

I bet the boy racers were thinking "What kind of bass sytem does it require to make that sound?"

Thomas01 · 12-09-2006, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zippity

I'm sorry.

I can't follow your logic.

If space junk - man made, falls through the atmosphere it will be hollow light weight stuff - it will collapse quickly (if I remember rightly we tried to design equipment to withstand 12g max) So there will be little noise. Imagine having a heavy lorry crash and being able to hear it 60 miles away - not possible of course.
To produce the noise heard today requires something very big - very dense - very solid - very heavy. To have such an man made item in space would require a rocket beyond our imagination. Certainly my guess is at least several thousand times more powerful than anything we have so far. I could be wrong.
Tom