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Greg Evans
Dec 01, 2019
It's not every day that you get to hear a sonic boom but that's exactly what happened in the early hours of Sunday morning in southern England.
Reports suggest that at around 4:20 am, a noise generated by two Royal Air Force Typhoons created a sound that was likened to an 'explosion', apparently shaking houses and causing alarms and sirens to go off.
The jets had taken off from Coningsby, Lincolnshire to try and intercept an unresponsive aircraft and although it is not clear where the sonic book took place, it was heard as far away as London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
On Twitter, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that it was a 'sonic boom' and there was 'no cause for concern'.
We are aware of reports of a loud bang in the north London area. There are no reports of an explosion and police a… https://t.co/hsM9My2SNY— Metropolitan Police (@Metropolitan Police) 1575175602
The loud bang heard throughout north London and surrounding areas was the result of a sonic boom from RAF planes. T… https://t.co/QSfHfxVvWq— Metropolitan Police (@Metropolitan Police) 1575176396
A sonic boom occurs when an object travels faster than the speed of sound but at the time, those who heard the sound had no idea what had happened and were quite alarmed but also amused.
Anyone else hear a loud bang and feel the shockwave 4:20am? Heard a loud plane noise soon after 🤷🏾♂️ maybe just a… https://t.co/RJWIcsB9X8— Logan Dean (@Logan Dean) 1575174942
Those who heard a loud noise in London at around 04:20am, it was not an explosive. IT WAS A "SONIC BOOM" A sonic… https://t.co/2M7lCDxpHu— King Shy (@King Shy) 1575181740
I study Aeronautical Engineering at uni and Thank you Twitter for educating me more on jets and planes in the past… https://t.co/GI7Va5uoJe— Meg (@Meg) 1575180899
I find a good technique for not being woken up by a sonic boom to be a) not being asleep and b) playing L7 at the same time— Anna Doble (@Anna Doble) 1575189804
The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one. https://t.co/AJdRSuSrJ7— Tom Holland (@Tom Holland) 1575188045
This was a fun way to wake up at 4:15 am. https://t.co/jOnJ8ve1tG— Mark MacKinnon (@Mark MacKinnon) 1575188171
Even this poor cat got a bit scared.
The #sonicboom last night terrified my cat Beryl. She's still spooked, normally can't wait to get out in the mornin… https://t.co/TNJtMj6ryB— Julia Buckley (@Julia Buckley) 1575189669
There are also a few videos on social media of the sonic boom and although it's not as dramatic as it sounds it is still rather fascinating.
If people want another camera angle recording. #explosion #sonicboom #loudnoise over Cambridge. https://t.co/JXHUThfS1j— Dr Andrew Holding (@Dr Andrew Holding) 1575181084
#explosion #loudbang London sonic boom https://t.co/KvQS0R01r0— kk (@kk) 1575176303
Ever wondered what a sonic boom sounds like? Here’s mine 👍🏼🛩🔊. https://t.co/spsn65tE1k— Stuart C (@Stuart C) 1575187074
Nice to get woken up by a #sonicboom in Cambridge ... (Video exited to remove number plate) https://t.co/cZcNK5PfXn— Dr Andrew Holding (@Dr Andrew Holding) 1575174481
An RAF spokesperson has since told the BBC:
Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby were scrambled this morning, as part of the UK's Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) procedures, after an aircraft lost communications in UK airspace.
The aircraft was intercepted and its communications were subsequently re-established.
HT BBC
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