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Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Colorful Quadrantid Meteor
APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 2 Feb, 2021 | Image Credit & Copyright: Frank Kuszaj

Posted on 02/02/2021 3:50:46 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually cannot discern many colors, cameras often can. Pictured is a Quadrantids meteor captured by camera over Missouri, USA, early this month that was not only impressively bright, but colorful. The radiant grit, likely cast off by asteroid 2003 EH1, blazed a path across Earth's atmosphere. Colors in meteors usually originate from ionized elements released as the meteor disintegrates, with blue-green typically originating from magnesium, calcium radiating violet, and nickel glowing green. Red, however, typically originates from energized nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteoric fireball was gone in a flash -- less than a second -- but it left a wind-blown ionization trail that remained visible for several minutes.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: nasa
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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then zoom by moving the magnifying glass over an area and then clicking. The side bars will move the zoomed area over the photograph.

1 posted on 02/02/2021 3:50:46 PM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 02/02/2021 3:51:07 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; America_Right; Art in Idaho; AZ .44 MAG; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌


3 posted on 02/02/2021 3:51:42 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Just beautiful.


4 posted on 02/02/2021 4:20:59 PM PST by AFB-XYZ (Stand up, or bend over)
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To: MtnClimber

We control the horizontal.
We control the vertical....................


5 posted on 02/03/2021 5:28:16 AM PST by Red Badger (SLEAZIN' is the REASON for the TREASON .................................)
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