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Credit & Copyright: Frank Kuszaj
Explanation:
Meteors can be colorful.
While the human
eye usually cannot discern many colors, cameras often can.
Pictured is a
Quadrantids meteor
captured by camera over
Missouri,
USA,
early this month
that was not only impressively bright, but colorful.
The
radiant grit, likely cast off by asteroid
2003 EH1,
blazed a path across Earth's atmosphere.
Colors in meteors usually originate from ionized elements released as the
meteor disintegrates, with blue-green typically originating from
magnesium,
calcium
radiating violet, and
nickel glowing green.
Red, however, typically originates from energized
nitrogen and
oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.
This bright
meteoric
fireball
was gone in a flash -- less than a second -- but it left a
wind-blown ionization trail that
remained visible for several minutes.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: meteor
Publications with words: meteor
See also:
- APOD: 2025 August 25 B The Meteor and the Star Cluster
- APOD: 2025 August 6 B Meteor before Galaxy
- APOD: 2024 November 27 B The Meteor and the Comet
- Meteor over the Bay of Naples
- Fireball over Iceland
- APOD: 2023 August 23 B The Meteor and the Galaxy
- APOD: 2023 July 16 B Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps