Evening SuperForest,
Science is coooool. To wit:
(from 1:45 onward)
This vid, of the Solar Dynamics Observatory launch of the Atlas V on 11 February 2010, captures the shock wave (or sonic boom) made when the rocket hit the speed of sound, made visible by the ice crystals it was passing through:
A sun dog is a prismatic bright spot in the sky caused by sun shining through ice crystals. The Atlas V rocket exceeded the speed of sound in this layer of ice crystals, making the shock wave visible from the ground. The announcer can be heard in the video saying, “The vehicle is now supersonic.”
Atlas V is on a 5 year mission to study the sun and is due to “beam back IMAX-quality images of solar explosions and peer beneath the stellar surface to see the sun’s magnetic dynamo in action” with the first light images due mid-March. Can’t wait!
Love
P
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