: the shock wave formed by the collision of a stellar wind with another medium (such as the magnetosphere of a planet)
Examples of bow shock in a Sentence
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Like the wake of a speeding boat, the bow shocks in this image have an arc-like appearance as the fast-moving jet from the young star slams into the surrounding dust and gas.
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Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2025
The next structure that's expected to exist is the bow shock, but that's likely to be over 100 AU farther out.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 4 Nov. 2019
However, the spacecraft only encountered the bow shock on one orbit out of many, which has led researchers to conclude that the magnetosphere was expanding during that time.
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2017
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Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2025
The next structure that's expected to exist is the bow shock, but that's likely to be over 100 AU farther out.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 4 Nov. 2019
However, the spacecraft only encountered the bow shock on one orbit out of many, which has led researchers to conclude that the magnetosphere was expanding during that time.
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2017
Cite this Entry
“Bow shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bow%20shock. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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