The speed of the meteor plays an important role, because the higher level of kinetic energy will intensify certain colors compared to other colors.
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A rare photo of a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere (video)
A Texas police officer got a rare sight in the sky, when the camera in his car captured an image of a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere with a green flash of bright light.
The Dashcam (a video camera mounted on the dashboard or in the windshield of a car and used to continuously record a view of the road, traffic, etc. through a car windshield) recorded the meteor flying toward Earth, in eastern Travis County, which is located in south-central Texas, Near the city of Austin.
A meteor caught on dash cam! How cool is THAT?! pic.twitter.com/8jsEhchknY
— Travis County SO (@TravisCoSheriff) February 25, 2022
The meteor can be seen traveling behind clouds illuminated by an apparently green light, falling from the sky in a vertical line.
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office shared the footage on Twitter and confirmed that the celestial event occurred on Thursday, February 17th.
It is possible that the meteor appears green as a result of various factors, as the dominant composition of the meteorites can play an important role in the observed colors of the fireball, with some elements displaying distinctive colors when they evaporate. For example, sodium produces a bright yellow color, nickel appears green and magnesium blue and white, the American Meteorite Society says on its website.
The speed of the meteor also plays an important role, because a higher level of kinetic energy will intensify certain colors compared to others.
Often, meteorites emit a bright light when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere, where they burn due to the friction caused by this process.
Meteorites often burn out completely, but occasionally, meteorites can be found at the site of the impact.