Nigel_Knowital Report This Comment Date: August 20, 2007 09:20PM
Sorry, but NO!
It is more likely caused by condensation in the area of pressure
differentiation, and not necessarily by a sonic boom.
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: August 20, 2007 09:27PM
Explanation: Is this what a sonic boom looks like? When an airplane travels at
a speed faster than sound, density waves of sound emitted by the plane cannot
precede the plane, and so accumulate in a cone behind the plane. When this shock
wave passes, a listener hears all at once the sound emitted over a longer
period: a sonic boom. As a plane accelerates to just break the sound barrier,
however, an unusual cloud might form. The origin of this cloud is still debated.
A leading theory is that a drop in air pressure at the plane described by the
Prandtl-Glauert Singularity occurs so that moist air condenses there to form
water droplets. Above, an F/A-18 Hornet was photographed just as it broke the
sound barrier.
ToucanSam Report This Comment Date: August 20, 2007 09:38PM
Everyone's full of shit. TRANSONIC.
[
en.wikipedia.org]
Learn away!
ToucanSam Report This Comment Date: August 20, 2007 09:39PM
I read that "explanation" again from Anon. and I think I just got
stupider. WOW
woberto Report This Comment Date: August 21, 2007 12:43AM
This was our first "Image Of The Week" back in 2003.
[
www.plus613.net]