perseid close up highlights

 a few highlights at a uniformly larger scale:

longest
warped by fisheye lens field curvature
and surrounded by green air glow
as it skimmed by low on the horizon
8/12/23 21:43 PDT

shortest
bright, but very foreshortened
coming almost straight in
8/13/23 03:02 PDT

The reason for the color is complex.  I thought it was simple black body radiation, but these are really only red and green.  ionization of the atmosphere occurs as the meteor burns up: the heated air glows red or green due to oxygen and nitrogen.  a similar phenomenon is involved in auroras and sky glow.  this can be be influenced by the speed and altitude of the meteor.  the composition of the meteor can also play a role as different metals can glow at different colors.  

cloud cutter
8/13/23 02:54 PDT

passing andromeda (upper right)
8/13/23 02:02 PDT

Double?
not sure on the left one
8/13/23 01:58 PDT

slide show of the bright ones:

residual ionized glow after anza house skimmer:

close inspection shows a faint trail left in the frame after the meteor appears
which gradually rises up in subsequent frames
would that the lights had been out :(
8/12/23 23:06

another:

faint trail left in the frame after the meteor appears
which gradually rises up in subsequent frames
8/13/23 00:12

the next night, dave kodama caught a really bright one here

imaging details:
5/12-13/23 10 PM to 5 AM
Anza, CA
passing clouds
nikon D850
Sigma 15mm F/2.8 EX DG fisheye
20 sec, iso 1600