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Re: (meteorobs) Green meteors
Bob Lunsford ALSO wrote:
>I believe that I have heard (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that
>the green color is produced by the doubly ionized oxygen produced when
>larger particles encounter the atmosphere.
One final comment on this thread: As has been noted here before, you might
actually expect that a perceived color of green would predominate for ALL
observers. The fact that it does not for some is interesting in itself...
The reason for that expectation is this: when ANY true color is faint enough to
be right on the threshold of an observer's perception (as the majority of colors
would be in meteors, you'd expect), conventional wisdom is that that color will
be SEEN by the observer as a "pale (or indistinct) green".
I've heard several plausible explanations of this effect, also frequently noted
by observers of faintly colored deep-sky objects. However, I'm no expert on the
eye (is anyone???), so I can't say for sure which explanation is right - or even
if this color preference is born out by proper scientific studies.
Sure is an interesting topic though, and one which might rarely come up if it
weren't for us "weird" meteor observers thinking about such things... :)
Clear skies and colorful meteors!
Lew
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