While commercial airliners fly at subsonic speeds, portions of air flow around the airplane are accelerated to speeds faster than the plane cruising speed. Such is the case of air flow over the wings that is accelerated to create lift. Their are many types of shock waves and the one depicted in this video is called a standing shock wave. With the right atmospheric conditions and angle of the sun, you can view standing shock waves forming over the wing. These occur because air flow over the wing is faster then the plane cruising speed. This airflow speed approaches the speed of sound and hence the formation of a shock wave. Just like when a straw appears broken in a glass of water, their is a similar visual discontinuity due to light traveling across different mediums possessing different optical properties. In this case its the different air densities immediately in front and behind of the shock wave that causes the light to bend differently distorting whatever is in the background. Was able to film this occurring over the wing of a northbound flight out of Ft. Lauderdale in the morning.

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