Wikipedia:Picture of the day/July 18, 2005

Picture of the day

U.S. F/A-18 Hornet breaking the sound barrier

U.S. F/A-18 Hornet breaking the sound barrier. In aerodynamics, the sound barrier is the apparent physical boundary stopping large objects becoming supersonic. When an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, an unusual cloud sometimes forms. A drop in pressure, in this case due to shock wave formation, causes water droplets to condense and form the cloud.

Photo credit: John Gay
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