Mystery of the Bright Green Meteor: Is it Common?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter interested_learner
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Green Meteor Mystery
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the phenomenon of a bright green meteor observed by a participant, exploring the causes of its color and questioning the commonality of such occurrences. The scope includes observational accounts and speculative scientific explanations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • A participant describes witnessing a bright green meteor and inquires about the reasons for its color and its frequency.
  • Another participant references a recent event in Colorado, clarifying that a bright display was due to a decaying rocket rather than a meteor, suggesting that not all bright sky phenomena are meteors.
  • A different participant notes that many meteors can appear green, speculating that this might be due to emission from ionized oxygen, while expressing uncertainty about the composition of meteors and their flame test colors.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the causes of the green color in meteors or the commonality of such events, with differing viewpoints and additional context provided by references to other phenomena.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes speculative claims about the causes of meteor colors and lacks definitive scientific backing or consensus on the frequency of green meteors.

interested_learner
Messages
210
Reaction score
1
I saw a bright green meteor yesterday. What would cause a meteor to be bright green? Is this common?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
Any chance you're from Colorado?


DENVER FIREBALL: Something from space disintegrated over Denver, Colorado, this morning around 6:20 am MST (1320 UT). Witnesses describe it as "brilliant, slow, twinkling, sparkly and full of rainbow colors." It was not a meteor. The fireball was the decaying body of a Soyuz U rocket that launched the French COROT space telescope on Dec. 27th. The re-entry caused no damage on the ground--just a beautiful display in the sky. More: news video, ground track, amateur photo.

http://spaceweather.com/

http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/01/04/russian-rocket-dazzles-the-skies-above-colorado-wyoming/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
No Arizona and it was in the evening.
 
Many meteors are green. Perhaps even most, by my personal experience. I'm speculating, but the green color may actually be emission from ionized oxygen...

Most meteors are composed principally of nickel and iron, but I honestly don't know what the "flame test" colors of these metals are.

- Warren
 

Similar threads

High School Possible explanations for meteor like observations?
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
4K
High School Meteor Photographed by Accident: Spectacular Green Bolide
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Undergrad How bright of a bolide would a Saturn IV-B stage be if it hit Earth
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
Stargazing How Can a Grain of Sand Create a Bright Meteor?
  • · Replies 80 ·
3
Replies
80
Views
11K
Stargazing Could the 1841 Meteor in Puget Sound Be Something Else?
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K
High School Sun's peak wavelengths and chlorophyll's green colour
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
3K
Undergrad Defending the Earth from meteors using lasers
  • · Replies 44 ·
2
Replies
44
Views
6K
Undergrad Why did the Chelyabinsk Meteor Explode?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
5K
High School Geminid meteor goes the wrong way.
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
6K
Undergrad Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients (LFBOTs)
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
976