<p>The colour of a meteor depends mostly on its chemical composition emission spectrum. To simplify magnesium meteors are noted to have an emission spectrum which results in blue to green colour. Changing factors like adding additional metals and the speed of the meteor could results in a cyan meteor compared to a blue one.</p>

<p>Source: 
<a href="https://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/meteor.html" rel="noreferrer">NASA on meteors</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-25T00:51:21.563Z
magnesium emission plus just thermal blackbody radiation might do it also
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-24T03:24:17.053Z
2019-06-24T03:24:17.053Z
Barry Jenakuns
<p>A meteor <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/23/queensland-sky-lit-up-by-plummeting-meteor" rel="noreferrer">recently flashed over Queenland.</a></p>

<p>The meteor has been described by various people as appearing cyan or aqua, so the blueness of the image can't be due to a camera issue. The colour doesn't appear to be anything found along the black body spectrum either.</p>

<p>What (chemical/physical process) would cause this meteor to appear cyan?</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/G8trh.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/G8trhm.jpg" alt="The Guardian: Queensland sky lit up by plummeting meteor"></a> click for full size, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/23/queensland-sky-lit-up-by-plummeting-meteor" rel="noreferrer">Source</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>‘I saw it come right down in the sky’: the meteor over south-east Queensland on Saturday night. Photograph: Craig Turton/AAP</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-24T00:26:10.430Z
Slightly related: [In the recent Con-Ed transformer “fire”, what exactly produced the color of the huge blue glow over New York City?](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/q/414110/102305) including [this answer](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/414244/102305) (I suspect copper or molecular carbon)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-24T11:21:40.567Z
Would you rather the meteor to have been green with envy ?
Lucian
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-24T18:50:29.830Z
@Lucian pulsating purple/yellow is all I ask...
Ingolifs
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-24T20:45:06.427Z
it was targeted at Aquaman ;)
Michael
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-24T22:22:28.940Z
You ought to go and look for it. Meteorites are very valuable especially if their fall was seen and recorded, Just how valuable depends on the type of meteorite,but the one in your photograph could easily be worth 100s of 1000s of £s
Michael Walsby
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-24T22:23:43.540Z
It's not my photograph, nor is it my country.
Ingolifs
<meteor>
Why did this meteor appear cyan?
Ingolifs
# Why did this meteor appear cyan?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-23)

A meteor [recently flashed over Queenland.](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/23/queensland-sky-lit-up-by-plummeting-meteor)

The meteor has been described by various people as appearing cyan or aqua, so the blueness of the image can't be due to a camera issue. The colour doesn't appear to be anything found along the black body spectrum either.

What (chemical/physical process) would cause this meteor to appear cyan?

[![The Guardian: Queensland sky lit up by plummeting meteor](https://i.sstatic.net/G8trhm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/G8trh.jpg) click for full size, [Source](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/23/queensland-sky-lit-up-by-plummeting-meteor)

> ‘I saw it come right down in the sky’: the meteor over south-east Queensland on Saturday night. Photograph: Craig Turton/AAP

**Tags:** meteor

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Slightly related: [In the recent Con-Ed transformer “fire”, what exactly produced the color of the huge blue glow over New York City?](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/q/414110/102305) including [this answer](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/414244/102305) (I suspect copper or molecular carbon)  
> **username_2**: Would you rather the meteor to have been green with envy ?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 pulsating purple/yellow is all I ask...  
> **username_3**: it was targeted at Aquaman ;)  
> **username_4**: You ought to go and look for it. Meteorites are very valuable especially if their fall was seen and recorded, Just how valuable depends on the type of meteorite,but the one in your photograph could easily be worth 100s of 1000s of £s  
> **username_0**: It's not my photograph, nor is it my country.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-06-24. Score: 19

The colour of a meteor depends mostly on its chemical composition emission spectrum. To simplify magnesium meteors are noted to have an emission spectrum which results in blue to green colour. Changing factors like adding additional metals and the speed of the meteor could results in a cyan meteor compared to a blue one.

Source:
[NASA on meteors](https://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/meteor.html)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: magnesium emission plus just thermal blackbody radiation might do it also  

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