Low Frequency Quiet Booms 31-8-22

[Sprites]

Not sure wareabouts on the forum to add this. 

Early this morning 03.30 I was taking a few photos of Pleiades and Mars. It was mostly a clear sky with a light breeze (6mph) from the NE. I was 4 miles out of town. I heard 3or4 distant low frequency quite booms , lasting around 2 seconds each. Because the wind was light and it was quiet, I noticed these sounds they were like very distant thunder, that you feel as much as hear. Last week I was at the same location taking photos of a thunderstorm. I noticed that some of the distant thunder made the pheasents call out, I've noticed this on numerous occasions.

The low booms I heard early hours of this morning also made the pheasents call out. I didn't see any lightning or flashes, there were no storms around this morning. The sounds seemed to come from the West/North West. Difficult to estimate a distance. I wondered if anyone else was out doing astrophotography and heard anything. 

 

 

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Edited August 31, 2022 by Sprites

[SnowBear]

9 hours ago, Sprites said:

Not sure wareabouts on the forum to add this. 

Early this morning 03.30 I was taking a few photos of Pleiades and Mars. It was mostly a clear sky with a light breeze (6mph) from the NE. I was 4 miles out of town. I heard 3or4 distant low frequency quite booms , lasting around 2 seconds each. Because the wind was light and it was quiet, I noticed these sounds they were like very distant thunder, that you feel as much as hear. Last week I was at the same location taking photos of a thunderstorm. I noticed that some of the distant thunder made the pheasents call out, I've noticed this on numerous occasions.

The low booms I heard early hours of this morning also made the pheasents call out. I didn't see any lightning or flashes, there were no storms around this morning. The sounds seemed to come from the West/North West. Difficult to estimate a distance. I wondered if anyone else was out doing astrophotography and heard anything. 

 

 

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No night firing at Shoeburyness and wind direction was wrong really for that. 

More likely was military aircraft doing night training and going sonic in the training areas out in the North Sea, not normally noticed as the booms don't often reach land, but if atmospheric conditions are right it can do and very rarely markedly so, enough to be reported initially as an earth tremor. 

As it was night, you probably noticed them much more than if it was day time.

[Sprites]

Hi SnowBear 

That sounds possible in certain conditions, I've read about "ducting" of sounds in inversions etc. The sound was in the West/NorthWest coming from inland. The surface wind was Northeast so maybe it was carrying sounds inland from the sea. 

[SNOW_JOKE]

I've occasionally heard these 'booms' at night including a few weeks ago and have gone through the usual denominating factors at the time such as industrial, quarrying, grouse shooting, etc to come to the conclusion that it's definitely distant sonic booms that i'm hearing. The soundwaves have a distinct compression to them that's hard to physically describe other than to say it's air-pressure compression (which is obvious as i'm hearing them) but it's similar to what someone would sense with artillery fire except the decibel level is almost down to the infrasound range.

It doesn't happen often mainly because i'm out at night looking at the stars and 'space stuff', but on average i'd estimate once or twice per year i've heard them.