What the Heck was that Loud Boom in The Tri-State Fri Afternoon?

A loud boom was heard and felt in the Tri-State Friday afternoon. Reports of a possible explosion starting coming in to the Henderson 9-1-1 dispatch center around 2:00 P.M. The strange sound was also heard in Evansville. There were a lot of speculation about what it could've been.

Many people said it felt like an earthquake. But there were no reports of an earthquake in our area.

"Remember when it happened in 08 then we had an earthquake a few days later. Hope that's not the case but anything's possible anymore"  - Marydith DeLong

A lot of people said it sounded like thunder or an explosion.

 "My parents are on St. Phillips Road near the church. Heard a loud boom that sounded like thunder." - Andrea Stolz-Klauss

What is a Sonic Boom?

This question led me down a rabbit hole of research into sonic booms and what this sound could've been. According to NASA:

A sonic boom is a thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other type of aerospace vehicle flies overhead faster than the speed of sound, or “supersonic.”

Was it Military or Something Else?

This is when my research got really interesting. Did you know that there is a company that is making airliners that are capable of traveling twice as fast as a regular plane?

Boom Supersonic revealed the XB-1 Supersonic jet in October, 2020. This incredible jet flies at twice the speed of sound, and it has been developed for commercial flying. This could really change the way we travel, by cutting down the length of flights.

Founder & CEO: Blake Scholl said the company's goal is to make it possible to go anywhere on the planet in four hours and at a cost of $100. Wow. Test flights are planned for 2021, with hopes of offering flights by 2025.

So, did this fly over the Tri-State? Who knows, but it is really cool to know that this type of travel could be possible.

Sources: Earthquake.gov Boom Supersonic NASA