Starship Asterisk*

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:02 am

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 4:22 am

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:10 am

To me the reddish outflows from the trail look like they may have been caused by some minor explosions, the kind of explosions that wouldn't destroy the tiny rocky body that is responsible for the meteor in the first place. Am I completely wrong about this?

And I'm glad you (basically) agree with me about the color of Andromeda in the APOD, although I don't think that Andromeda appears to be the same color as the reddish outflows from the meteor trail.

Ann

Yes, it is quite common for larger bodies (centimeters or more) to fragment along their path, releasing bursts of material.

It's that lower, spiky one that looks to me very close to the color of Andromeda.

Indeed, the color of Andromeda and the color of the lower spiky outflow appear to be virtually identical, about this color: ███. But if so, then the color of the two reddish outflows from the meteor trail can't be caused by the same elements, because the upper, larger outflow is about this color: ███.

Ann

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:02 am

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 4:22 am

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:10 am

To me the reddish outflows from the trail look like they may have been caused by some minor explosions, the kind of explosions that wouldn't destroy the tiny rocky body that is responsible for the meteor in the first place. Am I completely wrong about this?

And I'm glad you (basically) agree with me about the color of Andromeda in the APOD, although I don't think that Andromeda appears to be the same color as the reddish outflows from the meteor trail.

Ann

Yes, it is quite common for larger bodies (centimeters or more) to fragment along their path, releasing bursts of material.

It's that lower, spiky one that looks to me very close to the color of Andromeda.

Indeed, the color of Andromeda and the color of the lower spiky outflow appear to be virtually identical, about this color: ███. But if so, then the color of the two reddish outflows from the meteor trail can't be caused by the same elements, because the upper, larger outflow is about this color: ███.

Ann

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 4:22 am

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:10 am

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:58 pm

The upper orange structure is almost certainly the very typical Na and FeO driven airglow commonly observed in persistent trains. The lower "red" spike may be the same. I note that it appears almost exactly the same color as Andromeda, which is most certainly not very close to its "true" color here, so I'd be cautious interpreting it as a sprite.

Persistent train formation is associated with passage through a fairly narrow height range, perhaps 80-90 km, the very upper mesosphere bordering on the thermosphere. The trail itself is visible over a much wider range of heights.

To me the reddish outflows from the trail look like they may have been caused by some minor explosions, the kind of explosions that wouldn't destroy the tiny rocky body that is responsible for the meteor in the first place. Am I completely wrong about this?

And I'm glad you (basically) agree with me about the color of Andromeda in the APOD, although I don't think that Andromeda appears to be the same color as the reddish outflows from the meteor trail.

Ann

Yes, it is quite common for larger bodies (centimeters or more) to fragment along their path, releasing bursts of material.

It's that lower, spiky one that looks to me very close to the color of Andromeda.

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:10 am

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:58 pm

Roy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:33 pm That meteor smacked into the mesosphere at 37 miles per second. Size and configuration not known, but created a lot of ions. Evidenced by a red sprite characteristic of mesosphere’s fluorescence above stratospheric arcing lightning. The straight “feathering” reaching out from the meteor track to the sprite appears to be arcing discharge of ions to the lower larger area of the sprite, where the excess ions dissipate.

The upper orange structure is almost certainly the very typical Na and FeO driven airglow commonly observed in persistent trains. The lower "red" spike may be the same. I note that it appears almost exactly the same color as Andromeda, which is most certainly not very close to its "true" color here, so I'd be cautious interpreting it as a sprite.

Persistent train formation is associated with passage through a fairly narrow height range, perhaps 80-90 km, the very upper mesosphere bordering on the thermosphere. The trail itself is visible over a much wider range of heights.

To me the reddish outflows from the trail look like they may have been caused by some minor explosions, the kind of explosions that wouldn't destroy the tiny rocky body that is responsible for the meteor in the first place. Am I completely wrong about this?

And I'm glad you (basically) agree with me about the color of Andromeda in the APOD, although I don't think that Andromeda appears to be the same color as the reddish outflows from the meteor trail.

Ann

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:58 pm

Roy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:33 pm That meteor smacked into the mesosphere at 37 miles per second. Size and configuration not known, but created a lot of ions. Evidenced by a red sprite characteristic of mesosphere’s fluorescence above stratospheric arcing lightning. The straight “feathering” reaching out from the meteor track to the sprite appears to be arcing discharge of ions to the lower larger area of the sprite, where the excess ions dissipate.

The upper orange structure is almost certainly the very typical Na and FeO driven airglow commonly observed in persistent trains. The lower "red" spike may be the same. I note that it appears almost exactly the same color as Andromeda, which is most certainly not very close to its "true" color here, so I'd be cautious interpreting it as a sprite.

Persistent train formation is associated with passage through a fairly narrow height range, perhaps 80-90 km, the very upper mesosphere bordering on the thermosphere. The trail itself is visible over a much wider range of heights.

Roy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:33 pm That meteor smacked into the mesosphere at 37 miles per second. Size and configuration not known, but created a lot of ions. Evidenced by a red sprite characteristic of mesosphere’s fluorescence above stratospheric arcing lightning. The straight “feathering” reaching out from the meteor track to the sprite appears to be arcing discharge of ions to the lower larger area of the sprite, where the excess ions dissipate.

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 8:26 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 8:12 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:38 pm

Drifting dust, drifting ionized gas.

So, that's due to atmospheric motion and wind? I would expect that to appear on only one side, not both as is shown here. Is there that much turbulence in the air over this distance? How long is this trail anyway?

The trail is probably tens of kilometers long. Wind direction changes significantly with height, and in some cases here the wind may be nearly in our line of site, so could result in material close to the trail but on either side.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 8:12 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:38 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:23 pm What causes those brushstroke-looking wisps of varying colors that trail off unilaterally on one side or the other of the main trail?

Drifting dust, drifting ionized gas.

So, that's due to atmospheric motion and wind? I would expect that to appear on only one side, not both as is shown here. Is there that much turbulence in the air over this distance? How long is this trail anyway?

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:38 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:23 pm What causes those brushstroke-looking wisps of varying colors that trail off unilaterally on one side or the other of the main trail?

Drifting dust, drifting ionized gas.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:23 pm What causes those brushstroke-looking wisps of varying colors that trail off unilaterally on one side or the other of the main trail?

Uncle Jeff wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 3:57 pm Text says meteor trail glows with colors of its own ablated elements, but what of atmospheric elements through which it is plowing? Won't we see colors from heated/ionized nitrogen and oxygen as well?