How do we see meteors/their trails when they’re so tiny?

256 views

I just read that meteors range in size from a small pebble down to a grain of sand, and that when we see them across the night’s sky (there’s a meteor shower due tonight) they’re between 50-75 miles above us. So how the hell does something so tiny make such a large, bright streak of light when it burns up?

In: 2

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

All the previous replies answer the question “Where does this energy come from”.
Which is great and thanks for this.

I think what the OP is really asking is “How wide are some asteroid trails”.

I assume we see a super heated and glowing cylinder of air that takes an observable amount of time to cool, to stop glowing etc…

Please, does anyone have data on various trail widths and a description of what defines said widths, while the trail is glowing ?

You are viewing 1 out of 4 answers, click here to view all answers.