[meteorite-list] Meteor Colors

From: JoshuaTreeMuseum <joshuatreemuseum_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 15 May 2011 04:08:33 -0400
Message-ID: <F00DA95A3B874578BE651F0204A40037_at_ET>

Morning, folks!

I've been reading about what causes meteor colors.

When a dust particle meteoroid hits the atmosphere and burns up, it produces
a streak of light known as a meteor. Colliding air molecules create a
vaporous cloud of sodium, iron and magnesium atoms. In a cue ball effect,
excited electrons are knocked into higher orbits, emitting light as they
fall back to rest positons. Same principle as sodium discharge lamps and
fluorescent minerals. The meteor hue is determined by the interaction of the
glowing metal atoms and the emissions of the air plasma. If the air plasma
dominates, the meteor is red from the nitrogen and oxgyen atoms. Sodium
atoms produce orange-yellow light, iron atoms emit a yellow color and
magnesium is responsible for the colors of blue and green. If you're really
lucky, you might spot a purple meteor from its ionized calcium atoms.

The glowing green wake seen directly behind a meteor head is provided by
neutral oxygen atoms. The ghostly afterglow of bright boledic fireballs is a
result of the emissions of the Na, Fe and Mg atoms. It lasts a few seconds
at most. The longer lasting, (up to half an hour), more persistent fireball
train is an optical phenomenon caused by sodium and iron oxide produced by
the chemical interaction of oxygen atoms and ozone molecules with atoms of
sodium and iron.

For further information:

http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/meteor.html


Phil Whitmer
Received on Sun 15 May 2011 04:08:33 AM PDT