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In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a medium, but is characterized by an abrupt, nearly discontinuous, change in pressure , temperature , and ...
Shock waves are common in astrophysical environments. [1]Because of the low ambient density, most astronomical shocks are collisionless.This means that the shocks are not formed by two-body Coulomb collisions, since the mean free path for these collisions is too large, often exceeding the size of the system.
The defining criterion of a shock wave is that the bulk velocity of the plasma drops from "supersonic" to "subsonic", where the speed of sound c s is defined by = / where is the ratio of specific heats, is the pressure, and is the density of the plasma.
A meteor air burst is a type of air burst in which a meteoroid explodes after entering a planetary body's atmosphere. This fate leads them to be called fireballs or bolides , with the brightest air bursts known as superbolides .
The bright flash of the shockwave, or as astronomers call it the "shock breakout," pushes outward as the distant body turns from star to supernova.
Conical shockwave with its hyperbola-shaped ground contact zone in yellow. A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to the human ear.
Scientists believe they can find a meteor blast in Earth’s history strong enough to change the climate and, as a result, the animals that lived on Earth. Evidence may exist for a comet shockwave ...
The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the strongest, and quickest, meteor showers of the year. Here’s what you need to know to observe it during peak activity.