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Re: (meteorobs) Leonids - colors?



Lew:
    I'm not really sure if you can directly relate the visual colour of a
meteor to the colour of the spectral lines that are present.  Perhaps Jiri
Borovicka could provide a better answer to this.  What you see visually, is
of course a blend of all the spectral line colours.  I would think that the
"green" observed at the beginning of a meteor trail, could be directly
correlated, as it is the only line present at that height.  The other lines
more or less occur at the same time, so would be a blend.
Ed


Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Leonids - colors?


>
> Ed Majden wrote:
> >In answer to Michael's question about color, I believe that one could
> >possibly say that the green color at the beginning of the trail might be
> >related to the forbidden line of atomic oxygen at 5577A.  This green line
> >forms higher than the main part of the trail and may be what is seen
first.
>
> Interestingly, Ed, the only three (3) times I have ever recorded a meteor
> HEAD color change with any certainty, the meteor began some higher-energy
> color (bluish-white or green) and ENDED with a very distinctive RED color!
> (BTW, I believe one of these "chameleon meteors" was jointly observed by
> a fellow IMO recorder - Malcolm Currie, who I watched the 1999 Perseid
peak
> with on Mauna Kea.) Also interestingly, RED is normally quite rare for me!
>
> Clear skies,
> Lew Gramer


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