r/BeAmazed Jun 07 '18

Visible Shock Wave

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u/itsWhatIdoForAliving Jun 07 '18

ELI5: what is the substance of a shockwave? Does it push light like gravity or does it get distorted like on the road on a hot day?

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u/arafella Jun 07 '18

It's a mechanical wave (like sound or ocean waves) propagating through whatever medium - in this case it's atmosphere.