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Anonymous
Saw this on /k/, any more pics of airplanes breaking the sound barrier?
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
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Wish they were slightly higher res, but should still qualify.
>> Anonymous
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F-14, trans-sonic
>> Anonymous
Why does the air look like that when the plane breaks the sound barrier ?
Is it because of the high pressure generated when the waves override ?
>> Anonymous
At transonic speeds intense low-pressure areas form at various points around an aircraft. If conditions are right visible clouds will form in these low-pressure areas as shown in the illustration.

Hmm.. I would have figured high pressure as well...
>> Anonymous
>>362657
I think some of the high pressure areas become low pressure areas when the plane punches through the sound barrier (once the plane breaks through those areas are no longer being compressed). This change in pressure would cool the air, causing condensation.

But I haven't read an aerodynamic textbook in a long ass time ago so I could be remembering it wrong
>> Anonymous
>>362659
interesting, I get your point. So, what we see would be the decompression of the air at the point when the sound waves get some distance from each other.
How much does that 'cloud' last ?
It depends on the aceleration of the plane, right ?
>> shizznet !p6bTvrrbWo
heres a youtube of an f14 croswsing the barier seveal times. Ot seems the condensation clouds are very short lived.
>> shizznet !p6bTvrrbWo
>>362718
i fail
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wHrwgRsX0BI&feature=related
>> Anonymous
>The white halo is formed by condensed water droplets which are thought to result from a drop in air pressure around the aircraft (see Prandtl-Glauert Singularity).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_barrier

>The Prandtl-Glauert singularity (sometimes referred to as a "vapor cone"), is the point at which a sudden drop in air pressure occurs, and is generally accepted as the cause of the visible condensation cloud that often surrounds an aircraft traveling at transonic speeds, though there remains some debate. It is an example of a mathematical singularity in aerodynamics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prandtl-Glauert_singularity


So, I think our guessing was right. Also, in the article says that after breaking the soun barrier the air resistance decreases: I would think that makes the plane increase his aceleration on that moment, and make the effect of the decompression more pronunced
>> Anonymous
The pic of the F/A-22 (the first one) isnt breaking the sound barrier, high g turns can create similar low pressure areas, the difference is that they form on the wingtips and behind the intakes, instead of forming around the midsection
>> pictures nobody
Most of those pictures have nothing to do with planes breaking the sound barrier. They're just condensation clouds.

Most pictures are from airshows and they're not allowed to break the speed of sound at airshows.
>> Anonymous
>>362578
uhh OP, that's not supersonic, just really fast...
>> Anonymous
fukken saved lol
>> 1920x1200 Anonymous
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1920x1200