Meteor Photographed by Accident: Spectacular Green Bolide

[swampwiz]

https://www.goodshomedesign.com/photographer-gets-once-in-a-lifetime-shot-of-meteor-by-accident

What would make a bolide be green? Copper?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Air.

 

[etotheipi]

Air.

What compound in the air exhibits transitions that would produce the green colour? Don't know anything about mineralogy but I presumed this one might be caused by something like copper, nickel or barium in the meteor, or something else that's usually green

That is, unless the colour is only due to an optical quirk, or some other effect that I don't know about

 

[Vanadium 50]

I think it's atomic oxygen, which has a line at 557.7 nm.

 

[hutchphd]

 

[chemisttree]

What compound in the air exhibits transitions that would produce the green colour? Don't know anything about mineralogy but I presumed this one might be caused by something like copper, nickel or barium in the meteor, or something else that's usually green

That is, unless the colour is only due to an optical quirk, or some other effect that I don't know about

Could be nickel as well.

 

[hutchphd]

This and the meteor are almost surely from oxygen
I have seen red auroras this prominent in Maine 40 yrs ago. Amazingly the magnetic pole has wandered far enough north and west during my lifetime to make them far less common in Maine (also I am now in the Midwest mostly!). One of the best of nature's displays.

 

[Klystron]

Could be nickel as well.

One of the earliest chemistry experiments I learned as a child from my father (chemist/EE) was to hold metal coins (before laminates became common) in a natural gas flame using long pliers. Each coin displayed a characteristic color in the flame. Nickles showed bright green.

Perhaps both meteor material and atmospheric oxygen contribute to the colors in this excellent photo.

 

[chemisttree]

One of the earliest chemistry experiments I learned as a child from my father (chemist/EE) was to hold metal coins (before laminates became common) in a natural gas flame using long pliers. Each coin displayed a characteristic color in the flame. Nickles showed bright green.

Perhaps both meteor material and atmospheric oxygen contribute to the colors in this excellent photo.

Yes, both oxygen (even though that’s strictly “forbidden”!) or nickel could have caused it.

 

[davenn]

What would make a bolide be green? Copper?

this one might be caused by something like copper, nickel or barium in the meteor,

Highly unlikely copper, as there is close to zero copper in meteorites that have been classified

Nickel tho, is present in good quantities in the 3 main meteorite groups

I think it's atomic oxygen, which has a line at 557.7 nm.

Agreed, along with the nickel in the meteor as klystron said, would be my thoughts as well ...

Perhaps both meteor material and atmospheric oxygen contribute to the colors in this excellent photo.

Green glowing meteors are not that uncommon

One reference

Another site that shows the image linked to in the OP, states that it is the nickel in the meteor

Green Meteors Look Amazing From Anywhere, Be It South India Or Australia (indiatimes.com) seems to be difficult to find specific info from trustworthy sources

 

[hutchphd]

Looks like it might be Mg!

https://www.popastro.com/main_spa1/meteor/2015/03/15/notable-meteor-spectrum-captured-by-bill-ward/

This is more interesting than I figured...

 

[Bruzote]

You also need to know the camera settings. My Nikon, a P900, has quite a lot of substantial color variations I could produce just from a single color setting. The photographer could easily have chosen something for the purposes of his project that did not faithfully capture the original frequency-dependent flux of the moment. In fact, how you perceive that photo is even dependent on our monitor and surroundings.