Pixies Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 Just seen the brightest meteor I have ever seen before! It was around 23:45 (sorry, I didn't make a note). SE to NW, greenish in colour. Around 30deg in travel. But the thing was, it left a pale trail for a brief second after it had faded - like smoke. It was visible in the light skies here. I'm sure it wasn't an after-image as that would have been a dark line. This appeared to 'spread out' after the meteor, a bit like a thin wake. Am I imagining it, or is this an actual thing? I haven't been drinking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 It's an actual thing. It is called an ionized trail. They can be detected by radio astronomers as well as being seen visually. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddensky Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Great observation! As John says, this is a real phenomenon, known as ionization trail or afterglow. Some meteor showers are known for these trails, such as the Perseids and Orionids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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