INTEGRATION: REFRACTION - SHOCK WAVES

Continuing this long study of bending light and when to take it into account, something I learned this year that was mind-bending was how explosive events create a light refracting shockwave that travels away from the explosion. I did some digging and learned more watching BBC’s Earth Unplugged series:

Examining the Antares rocket explosion, refraction/warping of light can best be seen in the lower left corner when the rocket crashes:

Another angle showing the shockwave in the lower left:

Shockwave refraction can also been seen in planes breaking the sound barrier on the top and bottom of the plane:

Lastly, while writing this study, it didn’t hit me until later that this all ties back to something I saw so many years ago, but never tied to the concept of refraction: bullet time.

If you’re interested more in actual shockwave formations from bullets, an interesting read is:
https://www.americanscientist.org/article/high-speed-imaging-of-shock-waves-explosions-and-gunshots