Fuck Yeah Fluid Dynamics

This numerical simulation shows unsteady supersonic flow (Mach 2) around a circular cylinder. On the right are contours of density, and on the left is entropy viscosity, used for stability in the computations. After the flow starts, the bow shock in front of the cylinder and its reflections off the walls and the shockwaves in the cylinder’s wake relax into a steady-state condition. About halfway through the video, you will notice the von Karman vortex street of alternating vortices shed from the cylinder, much like one sees at low speeds. The simulation is inviscid to simplify the equations, which are solved using tools from the FEniCS project. (Video credit: M. Nazarov)