[meteorite-list] Re Cu meteorite

[Mark Bowling]

Thanks Chris,

I've wondered about this a long time, but have been unsuccessful in finding an explanation.

Mark

--- On Sat, 7/12/08, Chris Peterson <clp at alumni.caltech.edu> wrote:


> From: Chris Peterson <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Re Cu meteorite

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Date: Saturday, July 12, 2008, 11:22 PM

> Many fireballs, especially slow ones, show strongly green.

> This has nothing 

> to do with the composition of the body, however (meteor

> colors in general 

> are not strongly related to composition). The green color

> is the 558nm 

> forbidden oxygen line. Slower meteors are not as hot, so

> their intrinsic 

> thermal (blackbody) radiation is less likely to swamp out

> the atmospheric 

> emission.

> 

> Chris

> 

> *****************************************

> Chris L Peterson

> Cloudbait Observatory

> http://www.cloudbait.com

> 

> 

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Mark Bowling" <minador at yahoo.com>

> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 12:09 AM

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Re Cu meteorite

> 

> 

> > I've seen a few green fireballs/bolides over the

> years.  The flame test of

> > copper is green so I've always wondered about this

> subject myself. 

> > Geologic

> > processes have produced relatively huge masses of

> copper in the earth, and 

> > I

> > don't see why that cannot occur elsewhere in the

> solar system.  But I'm 

> > just

> > a biased copper miner... ;-)  Something like that

> would be quite rare, but

> > possible I think.