Hmmm, that’s pretty amazing, how perpendicular the shock waves emanate from the front of the aircraft. I wonder at what speed they propagate, the speed of sound? Looks like it would have to be much faster due to the slight angle of the bow wave.
Hmmm, that’s pretty amazing, how perpendicular the shock waves emanate from the front of the aircraft. I wonder at what speed they propagate, the speed of sound? Looks like it would have to be much faster due to the slight angle of the bow wave.The shock waves build up as the vehicle approaches speed of sound, (Mach 1) then compress closer together at the speed of sound. Once Mach 1 is exceeded the shock waves start angling rearward. The faster the speed, the sharper the shock wave.
Here's one of my favorite pics of Thrust SSC breaking the sound barrier. The lighter portion aft of the shock wave is the dust it's kicking up as the car passes over the ground.
