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  • Astronomy Picture of The Day

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    Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually cannot discern many colors, cameras often can. Pictured is a Geminid captured by camera during last week's meteor shower that was not only impressively bright, but colorful. The radiant grit cast off by asteroid 3200 Phaethon blazed a path across Earth's atmosphere longer than 60 times the angular diameter of the Moon. Colors in meteors usually originate from ionized elements released as the meteor disintegrates, with blue-green typically originating from magnesium, calcium radiating violet, and nickel glowing green. Red, however, typically originates from energized nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteoric fireball was gone in a flash -- less than a second -- but it left a wind-blown ionization trail that remained visible for several minutes, the start of which can be seen here.

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    Rainbow Gemini

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    Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually cannot discern many colors, cameras often can. Pictured is a Geminid captured by camera during last week's meteor shower that was not only impressively bright, but colorful. The radiant grit cast off by asteroid 3200 Phaethon blazed a path across Earth's atmosphere longer than 60 times the angular diameter of the Moon. Colors in meteors usually originate from ionized elements released as the meteor disintegrates, with blue-green typically originating from magnesium, calcium radiating violet, and nickel glowing green. Red, however, typically originates from energized nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteoric fireball was gone in a flash -- less than a second -- but it left a wind-blown ionization trail that remained visible for several minutes, the start of which can be seen here.

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    10 views2 pages

    Astronomy Picture of The Day

    Uploaded by

    pinocanavese
    Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually cannot discern many colors, cameras often can. Pictured is a Geminid captured by camera during last week's meteor shower that was not only impressively bright, but colorful. The radiant grit cast off by asteroid 3200 Phaethon blazed a path across Earth's atmosphere longer than 60 times the angular diameter of the Moon. Colors in meteors usually originate from ionized elements released as the meteor disintegrates, with blue-green typically originating from magnesium, calcium radiating violet, and nickel glowing green. Red, however, typically originates from energized nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteoric fireball was gone in a flash -- less than a second -- but it left a wind-blown ionization trail that remained visible for several minutes, the start of which can be seen here.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along
    with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

    2018 December 19

    A Rainbow Geminid Meteor


    Image Credit & Copyright: Dean Rowe

    Explanation: Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually cannot discern many colors, cameras
    often can. Pictured is a Geminid captured by camera during last week's meteor shower that was not only
    impressively bright, but colorful. The radiant grit cast off by asteroid 3200 Phaethon blazed a path across
    Earth's atmosphere longer than 60 times the angular diameter of the Moon. Colors in meteors usually
    originate from ionized elements released as the meteor disintegrates, with blue-green typically originating
    from magnesium, calcium radiating violet, and nickel glowing green. Red, however, typically originates from
    energized nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteoric fireball was gone in a flash --
    less than a second -- but it left a wind-blown ionization trail that remained visible for several minutes, the
    start of which can be seen here.

    Gallery: Geminid Meteors 2018


    Tomorrow's picture: seven sisters and a comet

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