Meteor showers are one of nature's most brilliant spectacles, each one
bringing a unique experience for stargazers, including meteors glowing in a
rainbow of colors.
Meteor showers occur several times a year when the Earth passes through a
field of debris, such as particles from asteroids or grains of dust from a
comet.
This debris burns up as it enters the Earth's atmosphere, giving off a flash
of light that some refer to as a shooting star.
If seen out of the corner of your eye, a meteor may appear to give off a
flash of white light, similar to the way stars appear. However, meteors can
appear in a variety of colors if viewing conditions are clear or if they are
captured in a photograph.
"The color of light that the meteors produce depends on their chemical
composition," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said.
"Different chemicals in the meteors produce different colors as they burn up
while entering the Earth's atmosphere," Samuhel said.
For example, meteors made from primarily calcium will give off a purple or
violet color, while those made out of magnesium will appear to have a green
or teal color.
What a meteor is made out of is not the only factor that determines the
color that it appears. The speed at which the meteor enters the Earth's
atmosphere can also affect the color.
The faster a meteor moves, the more intense the color may appear, according
to the American Meteorological Society (AMS).
"Among fainter objects, it seems to be reported that slow meteors are red or
orange, while fast meteors frequently have a blue color," the AMS said.
The Geminid Meteor Shower, one of the best meteor showers of the year, is a
shower known for producing intensely colored meteors, Samuhel said. The
Geminids peak in mid-December.
The most common colors for this specific meteor shower are yellow, orange
and sometimes green.
The Perseid Meteor Shower, another popular meteor shower that occurs every
August, is also known for producing shooting stars that give off vivid
colors.
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Space & Astrophysics