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This YouTube video purports to be of a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center in 2010.

It shows a rocket reaching the speed of sound, and creating a sonic boom at the same time as the rocket passes through a "sun dog", and the resultant ripples appearing through the atmosphere.

This video was cited on a Lithuanian technology news website, with the claim that the ascending rocket has managed to "tear a rainbow (sun dog) apart" (my translation, the headline contains other catch phrases as well): NASA raketa suplėšė vaivorykštę (Video) The article cites the expert of atmospheric optics, Les Cowley, explaining this phenomenon.

The video is also referenced on It's Okay to be Smart blog.

The thing is, I have seen a lot of rocket launches, but I have never seen an atmospheric ripple effect like this before and that is the thing that I'm skeptical about.

Does this video show an authentic meteorological rippling effect?

The rippling effect

Ernis
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    Clicking through to get to [the YT video itself](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsDEfu8s1Lw&index=9&t=0s&list=WL) and looking at the comments, I got [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16e1K0WBzgQ) that shows the same effect from a different angle at 9:45. – DevSolar Jul 16 '18 at 15:22
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    There are a number of videos of this launch, amateur and professional, many of which catch this phenomenon, but others of which don't. (There are many sites from which one can watch a launch. Apparently you had to be at the right one.) There are a number of photographs of the phenomenon such as this [Astronomy Picture Of the Day](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100223.html) (copyrighted, so please don't reproduce in an answer). Doubting the explanation, yes, that falls in the realm of this site, but why would you doubt this happened? – David Hammen Jul 17 '18 at 21:06
  • Well the first thought was that I haven't seen any sonic boom that looked like this before. And the effect itself doesn't have a name. But it seems the effect is real, since the link you provided, is in nasa's domain. – Ernis Jul 18 '18 at 05:19
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    I can't see the video, but if it is anything like others I have seen claiming a "sonic boom" that's not quite right: https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a19466/the-sonic-boom-photo-that-doesnt-show-a-sonic-boom/ – JasonR Jul 19 '18 at 11:50
  • @JasonR No, it looks more like a rocket dropped on the surface of water. I have added a video screenshot, that shows a dome shaped ripples propagating away from the rocket – Ernis Jul 20 '18 at 05:58
  • Ripple effect aside, where exactly is that sun dog supposed to be? – Sebastian Redl Jul 20 '18 at 10:11
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    @SebastianRedl you can see it on the upper right part of the video around 1:52, just before the ripples appear. – Ernis Jul 20 '18 at 10:50
  • Just as the phenomenon appears you notice the nose of the rocket "lighting up". This is consistent with breaking the sound barrier, as intense shock waves would appear around the nose, and these would reflect sunlight. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 20 '18 at 12:02
  • But the sky coloration described at the upper right is too poorly shown to say if it's a sun dog or just the clouds playing tricks with the sun. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 20 '18 at 12:05
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    @DanielRHicks you say that shockwaves "would reflect sunlight" - can you explain what the reflective surface would be... – Rory Alsop Jul 20 '18 at 12:38
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    @RoryAlsop - The sudden change in density. Like light reflected off of a piece of glass. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 20 '18 at 12:47
  • Are you thinking of refraction, then? – Rory Alsop Jul 20 '18 at 12:58
  • @DanielRHicks That looks like a rainbow refraction in the cirrus clouds, not a sun dog. – Sebastian Redl Jul 20 '18 at 17:03

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