Vapor cones typically appear around aircraft flying in the transonic regime–near, but still below, the speed of sound. Air moving over the vehicle accelerates and decelerates as it moves around Keep reading
Tag: vapor cone
Vapor Cone
This stunning National Geographic photo contest winner shows an F-15 banking at an airshow and a array of great fluid dynamics. A vapor cloud has formed over the wings of Keep reading
STS-135: The Final Shuttle Flight
Condensation clouds form around sections of Atlantis as STS-135–the final space shuttle flight–launches from Cape Canaveral this morning. These clouds, also called Prandtl-Glauert singularities or vapor cones, form at transonic Keep reading
Supersonic
Moving supersonically–faster than the local speed of sound–can cause some awesome effects. Among these are vapor cones (a.k.a. Prandlt-Glauert singularities), shock waves, and, of course, the sonic boom.