What predominant color flash is associated with fast meteors traveling greater than ~30 km/s?
Answer
green
The velocity of a meteoroid's entry into the atmosphere is a critical determinant of the resulting color because it dictates the energy available for ablation and excitation. Meteors traveling exceptionally fast, specifically those exceeding approximately 30 kilometers per second, generate sufficient heat and plasma intensity to readily ionize magnesium within the meteoroid material. The relaxation of these ionized magnesium atoms causes the emission of light predominantly in the green portion of the visible spectrum. This relationship means that observing a green flash often signals a very high-velocity event where the meteoroid's chemistry is clearly overriding the atmospheric background light.
Related Questions
What color hue does ionized Calcium (Ca+) typically produce in a meteor?What characteristic color light is emitted by super-heated Nitrogen (N2) and Oxygen (O) atoms?What predominant color flash is associated with fast meteors traveling greater than ~30 km/s?Which light-sensitive cells in the human eye are responsible for true color perception during meteor observation?What visual result occurs when spectral lines from iron, nickel, and magnesium merge in vaporized rock?What velocity range defines a slow moving meteor likely to show a yellow-orange color associated with sodium?What process involving faster entry velocity overrides the atmospheric background glow?What is the technical term for the dust particle before it streaks through the atmosphere?Which asteroid is identified as the unique parent body for the Geminids meteor shower?What color appearance is typical for moderate velocity meteors ($ ext{15 to 30 km/s}$) due to iron ionization?