In recent days, residents across central Israel have reported hearing loud nighttime explosions, likely stemming from IDF operations in Gaza.
Ynet received dozens of emails from residents describing what sounded like distant blasts. While the IDF has not yet commented, a physicist explained why such explosions can sometimes be heard dozens of kilometers away.
Dr. Yuval Rosenberg, a physicist at the Davidson Institute of Science Education, told Ynet that weather plays a key role in how sound travels. “When the air gets warmer closer to the ground—usually because the sun heats the surface—sound waves can bend upward, away from our ears, weakening the noise we hear,” he said.
Conversely, during the night, the ground cools faster than the air above it, reversing the effect. “This is one reason why explosions from Gaza often sound louder in central Israel at night,” Rosenberg noted.
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He also explained the physics behind the sound of rocket blasts over the sea. “When a rocket explodes, it produces a shock wave with a sudden and intense air pressure change,” he said. “Close to the blast, this wave can be deadly or cause serious damage—especially in the sea, where it can harm marine life.”
As the shock wave travels, it loses energy by heating the air and interacting with objects. Eventually, it breaks apart into the sound waves we hear. “It’s like a huge wave at sea that collapses into smaller ones,” Rosenberg said.