What does a brief, sharp flash of lilac occurring at the very end of a green meteor streak signify?
Answer
A pocket rich in calcium vaporized last in the high atmosphere.
A sudden color shift, especially a brief, sharp flash of lilac or violet at the very end of a streak—even if the main body was predominantly green (Magnesium)—provides definitive visual evidence of composition. This sharp color change indicates that a specific pocket or concentration of calcium-rich material was the last component to break up and vaporize in the high atmosphere just before the object ceased glowing visibly. Even if other elements dominated the overall color signature, that final lilac flash confirms the presence of the alkaline earth metal Calcium in that specific fragment.
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