Once-in-a-lifetime meteor photo, captured by accident by Prasenjeet Yadav

Blaze@reddthat.com to pics@lemmy.world – 650 points –

Article on how the picture was made: https://petapixel.com/2020/04/28/this-once-in-a-lifetime-meteor-photo-was-captured-by-accident/

Link to the photograph website: https://www.prasenjeetyadav.com/#explore

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Must've had a lot of copper in that asteroid.

Probably nickel and/or salts of barium. Copper burns blue as a pyrotechnic colorant.

Ah ok. I was going to say nickel but I did a quick search and somehow I read that it was copper.

Depending on the salt you can make both blue and green. Copper sulphate flame test is a pretty common school lab practical isn't it?

A lot of spaceship debris looks like this because copper is used in a lot of rocket engines.

Alternatively or additionally, I think oxygen plasma glows blue or green, because northern lights (near the poles, at least) are greenish.

One of the coolest photos I've ever seen. I like mountains amid the human development too

I know I'm being pedantic but aren't all pictures of meteors by accident?

They're not necessarily accidental (for example, taking long exposures during a meteor shower), but yes the vast majority of meteor pictures are by chance. A few meteors have been detected just before entry and photographed but that number is in the single digits.

Also it's mentioned for emphasis. It may seem obvious but it's worth pointing out.

I don't understand why they call it an "accident". The camera was set up and taking timed pictures. I just don't think "accident" is accurate

Clearly Jewish space lasers. This is just a cover-up

/s

Why does the grainy effect make it seem so much more substantial?