[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) Meteor colors
-- [ From: Robert Lunsford * EMC.Ver #2.5.1 ] --
Jun,
Here is my 2 cents worth on meteor colors and the major showers:
Less than 10% of the meteors I see have any color. Of the meteors that
are bright enough to produce a color besides white, here is a rundown of
my color impression of the major showers:
Quadrantids-Mostly blue with the brightest being yellow
Lyrids-Mostly blue with some yellow
Eta Aquarids-In contrast to Southern Hemisphere observers, I see almost
all of these meteors as blue rather than yellow.
Delta Aquarids-Mostly yellow
Alpha Caps-Equally yellow and orange
Perseids-2:1 in favor of yellow over blue. I have seen an occasional
orange Perseid
Orionids-A great majority are blue
Taurids-Equally yellow and orange
Leonids-A great majority are blue
Geminds-The most colorful shower for me. A lot of yellows with a few
blues, oranges, and some rare greens. Emerald green is the most
outstanding color produced by a meteor to me. Unfortunately they usually
are seen close to the horizon.
Ursids-Very rarely produce any color. Most have been yellow and blue.
Most notable was a sapphire blue -8 Ursid fireball seen in the early
90's.
Like Norman McLeod, I cannot claim to have seen any red colored meteors.
The closest have been deep orange. Nor have I seen any silver or violet
meteors. I have seen some orange meteors that resemble copper. This is
about as exotic as it gets for me.
I hope you find this interesting.
Bob Lunsford
Meteors Section Coordinator
Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers