FLPhotoCatcher wrote:If you look closely, you will see that the two meteor streaks in the first two frames do not line up. Are one of them added for effect?
Almost certainly, the meteor in the second frame is a completely different one.
Also, the orangeish stuff (plasma?) around the streak in the first frame had to have propagated from the meteor faster than the speed of sound (based on the idea that the camera's shutter closed before the 2nd frame starts, and the location of the streak in the 2nd frame).
No, the cloud dissipated slowly. These are long exposures- I'd guess perhaps 30 seconds each.
Does anyone know what the orange glow is, if not just the normal ionized gas that meteors make?
It's a photochemical process that primarily involves sodium, and also iron if it's present in the meteoroid. Both elements react with upper atmpospheric ozone to produce a sustained release of light- 589 nm for sodium, and a range of lines between red and green for iron.
[quote="FLPhotoCatcher"]If you look closely, you will see that the two meteor streaks in the first two frames do not line up. Are one of them added for effect?[/quote]
Almost certainly, the meteor in the second frame is a completely different one.
[quote]Also, the orangeish stuff (plasma?) around the streak in the first frame had to have propagated from the meteor faster than the speed of sound (based on the idea that the camera's shutter closed before the 2nd frame starts, and the location of the streak in the 2nd frame). [/quote]
No, the cloud dissipated slowly. These are long exposures- I'd guess perhaps 30 seconds each.
[quote]Does anyone know what the orange glow is, if not just the normal ionized gas that meteors make?[/quote]
It's a photochemical process that primarily involves sodium, and also iron if it's present in the meteoroid. Both elements react with upper atmpospheric ozone to produce a sustained release of light- 589 nm for sodium, and a range of lines between red and green for iron.