Re: pinhole Watch an f-14 break the sound barrier

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From: Paul Doherty (pauld@exploratorium.edu)
Date: Thu Mar 01 2001 - 13:55:24 PST 

Message-Id: <l03110719b6c471847c45@[192.174.2.173]>
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 13:55:24 -0800
From: Paul Doherty <pauld@exploratorium.edu>
Subject: Re: pinhole Watch an f-14 break the sound barrier

Hi Jhumki

I was there and saw this event myself.
The jet is flying just barely supersonic above the ocean.

The air is near 100% humidity.

There is an invisible supersonic shock wave coming off the airplane in the
shape of a cone.

Behind the shock wave the pressure of the air is lower.

When the plane flies through a more humid region the water vapor condenses
into a cloud. The cloud fills the shock cone.

So what you are seeing is a shock cone full of cloud.

There is an internet video of a similar supersonic cloud.
http://home.earthlink.net/~saabdraken/f14/

Paul D

Paul "But it is more complicated than that!" Doherty,
Senior Staff Scientist, The Exploratorium.
pauld@exploratorium.edu, www.exo.net/~pauld

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