NASA shares astonishing images of first air-to-air supersonic shock wave interaction

The American space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared incredible images of the first air-to-air supersonic shock wave interaction which occurs when aircraft fly faster than the speed of sound.

Image credit: NASA

Washington: The American space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) took on Instagram to share astonishing images of the first air-to-air supersonic shock wave interaction. Supersonic shock waves are formed when aircraft fly faster than the speed of sound, shockwaves travel away from them and are heard on the ground as a sonic boom.

These pictures captured by NASA Aero in 2019 demonstrate the flow of shock waves from supersonic aircraft and for the first time, the interaction of the shocks in flight.

Originally the images are monochromatic, captured by an updated camera system on one of NASA's research planes. Researchers use this imagery to study shockwaves as part of our effort to make sonic booms quieter, which may open the future to possible supersonic flight over land.

The images were shared on NASA's official Instagram page with a long descriptive caption eliciting the imagining technique and equipment used.  “When aircraft fly faster than the speed of sound, shockwaves travel away from them and are heard on the ground as a sonic boom. With exceptional clarity, @NASAAero captured the flow of these shock waves from supersonic aircraft in 2019, and for the first time, the interaction of the shocks in flight,”  wrote NASA.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NASA (@nasa)

The post gained more than 7 lakh likes and thousands of comments expressing the amusement of users.