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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe striking NASA images most likely meant by “NASA Snaps Stunning Photos of Supersonic Aircraft” show shock waves around supersonic T-38 jets. They are not photos of sound itself: airborne schlieren imaging makes otherwise invisible air-density changes visible by recording how they bend light. NASA developed the technique in part to prepare for studying the shock waves of its quieter-boom X-59, a different aircraft.
What NASA’s supersonic-aircraft photos show
The title does not identify a particular image or release. The likely reference is NASA’s Air-to-Air Background Oriented Schlieren (AirBOS) photography of T-38 trainer aircraft. In one formation image, the T-38s—aircraft from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School—flew about 30 feet apart, with the trailing jet about 10 feet lower. The image captures shock waves around both aircraft and shows how those patterns interact. NASA’s AirBOS account describes the formation and imagery.
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The rippling lines are not visible trails in the air. They are visual evidence of changes in air density and pressure around the aircraft. Schlieren photography reveals those changes because air of differing density bends light.
How airborne schlieren photography works
NASA’s capture setup paired a camera-equipped B-200 aircraft with two T-38s flying supersonically beneath it. At the moment of capture, the B-200 was at around 30,000 feet, according to NASA’s Quesst science page. The system used a background and image processing to reconstruct the shock-wave patterns. The original image was monochromatic; NASA later presented a colorized composite.
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- Use a textured background: Background features provide reference points behind the aircraft. NASA’s airborne method can use texture such as the Sun’s edge or sunspots.
- Record the distorted light: Changes in air density bend light as it passes through the airflow around the jets, shifting the apparent position of background features.
- Process the shifts: Software calculates how those features moved and turns the changes into an image of the shock-wave structures. NASA Armstrong explains the method in its account of advances in shock-wave photography.
NASA reported in 2019 that the upgraded AirBOS approach captured “three times the amount of data in the same amount of time” as its earlier schlieren approach. That is NASA’s comparison of the methods, not a general camera-performance specification. NASA’s 2019 report describes the improvement.
How shock waves relate to a sonic boom
At subsonic speeds, pressure disturbances can travel ahead of an aircraft. Once it flies faster than sound, the aircraft outruns those disturbances, producing rapid pressure changes called shock waves. They form around parts of the aircraft and can merge as they travel toward the ground. The resulting pressure-wave pattern is heard as a sonic boom; it is not simply a sound made at the instant the aircraft passes Mach 1. NASA explains the relationship in its Quesst mission overview.
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The schlieren image therefore shows airflow structures associated with a boom, not sound waves or the boom as a photograph. It helps researchers study where shock waves form and how they are distributed around an aircraft.
How airborne and ground-based schlieren differ
NASA has described both airborne imaging and ground-based approaches that use a celestial body as a background. The practical difference is where the camera and subject aircraft must be positioned—not that one method is always better.
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| Approach | Background | Camera position | Practical consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airborne schlieren | Texture behind the subject aircraft, such as the Sun’s edge or sunspots | On a separate aircraft positioned to image the supersonic aircraft | Requires coordinated aircraft operations and image processing; NASA used this approach for the AirBOS T-38 images. |
| Ground-based schlieren | The Sun or Moon | On the ground | A celestial background can make the setup simpler and cheaper because the camera can remain on the ground, but access to a suitable background and viewing geometry matters. |
NASA’s 2015 explanation of schlieren imaging discusses the ground-based use of the Sun or Moon as a background. The choice depends on the observation and operational setup.
Are these photos of the X-59?
No. The AirBOS images discussed here show T-38s, not NASA’s X-59. The T-38 campaign helped NASA refine a way to image shock waves; the X-59 is a separate experimental aircraft developed for the Quesst mission.
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NASA Armstrong’s principal investigator for schlieren photography, Ed Haering, said the work was “all in preparation for X-59,” so researchers would have a proven system for imaging its shock waves and documenting their distribution. The goal is to assess whether the X-59’s design produces a quieter sound on the ground. NASA Armstrong’s account reports Haering’s explanation.
What Quesst is meant to establish
NASA describes Quesst as a mission with two linked goals: build the X-59 using technology intended to reduce a loud sonic boom to a gentler thump, then fly it over communities and gather public-response data. NASA plans to provide that data to national and international regulators to inform future acceptable noise thresholds for commercial supersonic flight over land. The T-38 photographs alone do not show that all supersonic aircraft can avoid a boom, nor do they change flight rules.
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NASA’s mission page lists Quesst as active, with a first flight in 2025 and a planned duration through 2029. Its overview lays out three phases:
- Aircraft build and initial flights.
- Acoustic validation of the X-59.
- Community-response testing.
Those dates and phases reflect NASA’s published plan and may change. The AirBOS T-38 image campaign is distinct from the later X-59 acoustic-validation and community-response work. See NASA’s Quesst mission overview and mission information.
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