Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 100, 194–198 (2006)
Meteor Trains -
Terminology and Physical Interpretation
by Jiri Borovicka, Astronomical Institute
of the Academy of
Sciences, 251 65 Ondrejov, Czech Republic
Abstract.
This article presents a summary of various luminous phenomena that may
follow after passage of a meteor. The terminology recommended by the
International Astronomical Union in 1961 is used, which calls these
phenomena trains. Nowadays, several types of trains can be clearly
distinguished. The understanding of the underlying physical and
chemical
processes is, however, still not satisfactory and the nomenclature of
different train phenomena has not yet been settled. In this paper I
call
them wake, green train, persistent train, and reflection train. Meteor
wakes are formed by rarified non-equilibrium gas behind the meteoroid.
The green train, produced by the radiation of the forbidden oxygen line
at 557.7 nm, is created by reactions among atmospheric species. The
persistent train is the most complex phenomenon with three phases of
evolution. The afterglow phase is formed by cooling rarified gas. After
that, atomic recombination phase follows. The third and most persistent
continuum phase is probably fed by chemiluminescence. Finally, the
reflection train occurs when sunlight is scattered by a dust cloud
created by meteoroid disruption.
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