How did the 'sonic boom cloud' at the tail of the plane come about? How much power is hidden behind beauty?

The concept of "sonic boom cloud" is believed to be familiar to everyone, especially military fans, who must know more. But do you know how the beautiful phenomenon of "sonic boom clouds" comes about? How much power is hidden behind its charming beauty?

Generally speaking, sonic boom clouds are generally generated at the tail of supersonic flying objects, usually in the tail of fighter jets. When a high-tech fighter flies at supersonic speed, a "cone-shaped" cloud will be generated on its tail. This cloud is generally centered on the central axis of the aircraft and spreads evenly from the front of the wing to the surrounding. It looks very sci-fi, and the visual effects are directly full, very handsome.

For most people, the sonic boom cloud is the exclusive symbol of supersonic fighters, and it is believed that the sonic boom cloud can only be generated at supersonic speed. But this is not the case. In special cases, even without a supersonic aircraft tail will produce a sonic boom cloud.

To know why, we need to understand the science behind the "sonic boom cloud": when the speed of the aircraft is accelerated step by step to exceed the speed of sound in the current environment (only the speed of sound in the air), that is, the speed reaches about 1193 kilometers /hour, the high-speed flying aircraft will drive the surrounding air to accelerate the flow, the flowing air will cause the local temperature to drop sharply in a short time, and the air will be compressed.

At this low temperature and high pressure, water vapor in the air condenses into small water droplets, forming the clouds we see. Not only that, when the aircraft is close to the speed of sound or supersonic, the speed of the aircraft itself will approach or even exceed the speed of the sound waves generated by the aircraft itself.

In this case, the compression of the air by the body of the aircraft cannot be spread and dispersed in a short period of time. Also called "tone cone".

This "shock surface" is not good for the aircraft. It will further increase the resistance received by the aircraft and further accelerate the serious impression. This is what we often call the "sound barrier phenomenon".

In order to accelerate further, the aircraft must break the "sound barrier". When breaking the sound barrier, it is often accompanied by a short and strong explosion, which is what we often call the "sonic boom phenomenon".

As the sonic boom is generated, the sonic boom cloud will also appear, so when we usually hear the sonic boom, we look up and see the sonic boom cloud advancing with the fighter jet. To many, sonic boom clouds are a very rare physical spectacle, but a common physical phenomenon for fighter pilots.

It is worth mentioning that the physical power of the sonic boom cloud is very powerful. For example, when a fighter jet is flying at a supersonic speed at a low altitude, it often generates super huge sound waves, which seriously damages the hearing organ of the organism.

Not only that, when flying in the city, it can directly shatter the glass of the building, causing direct damage to the building. Generally speaking, the lower you fly, the more lethal you are. When the height is low to a certain extent, it can even directly cause the death of the organism.

Therefore, the sonic boom cloud is completely a physical phenomenon that can be seen from a distance but cannot be played with!