These Groundbreaking Images Of A Sonic Boom Are Stunning
This week, NASA released the first-ever images of shockwaves from two supersonic jets interacting, and they are simply stunning. They feature two T-38s from the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base with shockwaves — the rapid pressure changes that produce sonic booms — emanating from them, looking a little bit like waves from a fast-moving motorboat. The picture above has been colorized to emphasize the interaction of the shockwaves; here’s what the original monochrome looks like:
Just for the hell of it, here’s what the shockwaves look like in blue:
The imaging system that captured these photographs will be used to help test a new jet design that produces “shockwaves in such a way that, instead of a loud sonic boom, only a quiet rumble may be heard.”
Source: digg.com