Colors of meteorsThe color of many Leonids is caused by light emitted from metal atoms from the meteoroid (blue, green, and yellow) and light emitted by atoms and molecules of the air (red).This is the same process as in gas discharge lamps. When the electrons fall back to their rest positions, light is emitted. In subsequent collisions, electrons are knocked into orbits at larger mean distances from the nucleus of the atoms. Those collisions sputter away the outer layers of the particle, creating a vapor ofsodium, iron and magnesium atoms. Source of light When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere, they collide with numerous air molecules.Just before they enter the Earth's atmosphere, Leonid meteoroids travel at 71 kilometers per second, or some 2,663 times as fast as a fast pitch in baseball,or, if you want, around the Earth in 3.8 minutes! Speed That tiny particle can cause a light so bright that it can be seen over distances of hundreds of kilometers.The reason is the astronomical speed of the meteoroids.For example, aLeonid meteor of magnitude +5, which is barely visible with the naked eye in a dark sky, is caused by a meteoroid of 0.5 mm in diameter and weights only 0.00006 gram. Size: Most visible Leonids are between 1 mm and 1 cm in diameter.
METEORS: Meteors are better known as "shooting stars": startling streaks of light that suddenly appear in the sky when a dust particle from outer space evaporates high in the Earth's atmosphere.We call the light phenomenon in the atmosphere a "meteor", while the dust particle is called a "meteoroid".
Leonid MAC - Facts on meteors and meteor showersīackground facts onmeteors and meteor showers.įigure 1: Example of four bright Leonid meteors thatwere photographed in the constellations of Monocerosand Orion by Lorenzo Lovato of Italy on November 17, 1998.
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