Hydraulic Jump (IMAGE) Penn State Caption The supernova shock front, the abrupt transition between the supersonic explosion and the gas surrounding the exploding star, is similar to transition in a "hydraulic jump," where a high-speed stream of water hitting s surface flows smoothly outwards and then abruptly jumps in height and becomes turbulent. Credit James Kilfiger, Wikimedia Commons Usage Restrictions Credit must be provided alongside image. CC BY-SA 3.0 License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.