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Simply because light travels faster than sound. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second while the speed of sound is only about 1,126 feet per second. Therefore, you see the explosion before hearing the blast. It's the same when you experience a thunderstorm - you see the lightning, and the thunder follows after a few seconds - depending how close you are to it.

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Q: Why is the light of a distant explosion seen first before the sound of the explosion is heard?
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