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Re: (meteorobs) A huge meteor dazzles the Yukon
Hey, Jim, I was intrigued by your post... I had seen the sequence of images by
Lemke, and I'd assumed that at least SOME of the color was from recombination in
the persistent train, not reflection from any debris trail left behind by the
object. The fact that the initial image was red though, and that later the
brightest area changed color to yellow, seems like it COULD suggest that this
was reflected rather than emitted light. If that's the case, what DID happen to
the persistent train of this event? There is no sign of it at all on one image
taken just 90 seconds after the fireball itself: could the train from such an
incredibly bright event really have dispersed that quickly??
[QUICK NOTE: For folks confused by the above, keep in mind that the "afterimage"
normally seen behind brighter, faster meteors is in fact not "smoke" or debris
from the meteoroid itself at all: instead, it is a column of glowing earth air,
left behind by the intense energy output of the passing meteor. For very, very
large objects like the Yukon fireball (and many daytime fireballs) however,
there is a separate trail of actual debris from the meteoroid itself, which can
be seen in reflected sunlight when the geometry and timing is right.]
Lew
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