A sonic boom will herald the end of the record-setting Artemis II spaceflight as its Orion capsule streaks through the atmosphere during its return to Earth on April 10, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is reporting.

The thunderous vibration will likely take place between 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Pacific Time, the USGS wrote in a post on X.

The boom, USGS said, may be heard throughout Southern California as four astronauts complete a 10-day voyage to circle the moon and travel farther in space than anyone in history.

The spacecraft, NASA reported, is expected to splash down shortly after 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.

According to the U.S. Air Force, a sonic boom is caused by an object moving faster than sound − about 750 miles per hour at sea level.

The noise often resembles the sound of thunder.

"An aircraft traveling through the atmosphere continuously produces air-pressure waves similar to the water waves caused by a ship's bow," according to the federal agency. "When the aircraft exceeds the speed of sound, these pressure waves combine and form shock waves which travel forward from the generation or 'release point.'"

The USGS is asking anyone who hears the sonic boom to report it here or visit https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/tellus.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sonic boom in California expected Friday as Artemis returns home