Shock Wave in Space: Vacuum or Medium?

[wolram]

Im not sure if this is the right forum for this question as I am unsure
where it fits.
I always think of a Shock Wave as something that travels through
a medium, as in a sonic boom from an aircraft, but some talk of shock waves
in space, as in the shock wave from a supernova, is this the correct
terminology? Do shock waves travel in a vacuum, if so what are they?

 

[shrumeo]

i'm sorry i don't have a productive post, but I'm surprised nobody has given an answer

i don't know if this is right, but I would think that the shockwave from a supernova would be a wavefront of matter that is propagating through space away from the explosion

or, it is a the wavefront of EM radiation that was radiated all at the same time as it came from an explosion and since it's a lot of energy traveling 'together', then it would 'shock' anything it passed

 

[wolram]

shrumeo , thanks for reply, i have looked and googled, but it must
be one of those questions no one really thinks about.

 

[Mike2]

shrumeo , thanks for reply, i have looked and googled, but it must
be one of those questions no one really thinks about.

If gravitational waves exist, then perhaps a wave front could be a gravity wave produced when mass collapses towards the center but then abruptly changes direction as it is forced outward by the explosion. I'm not sure about that. Maybe there is such a spherical symmetry that all of such gravity waves would cancel. But such a wave would travel at the speed of light

There is also an echo that occurs as light bounces off interstellar dust. Such an echo would appear to be a right of light growing with time. It is of the order of the speed of light also.

I've heard that there is also a neutrino surge that accompanies the initial explosion. It travels near the speed of light, but I don't know what damage that could cause if any.

And of course, just the light burst itself may cause the solar winds to change course and all blow in one direction. Such a dense concentration might offer a very quick change in gravitational field.

 

[wolram]

Mike 2
I've heard that there is also a neutrino surge that accompanies the initial explosion. It travels near the speed of light, but I don't know what damage that could cause if any.
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I have the idea that radiation would do all the damage, any object in the path
of such an event is fried, but it seems we are of one mind about the "shock",
If an object were impervious to radiation would it feel anything?