This is an impressive picture of an F-18 and the sound barrier.
It takes just the right conditions to create such an event. Here is a F-18 passing through the sound barrier. There was just the right amount of water vapor in the air such that the shock waves caused the water to precipitate. The density and temperature were just right, AND there just happened to be a camera in the vicinity to capture the moment. The F-18 is actually in transonic flight, with normal shock waves emanating from behind the canopy and across the wings and fuselage. The condition will last for only an instant, and once supersonic flow exists completely around the aircraft, sharp-angled sonic cones replace the normal shock waves.
The odds of getting a shot like this are staggering.
Copyright © 1999 Thomas Hammack, Jr.. All rights reserved.
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