What color are shooting stars?

White: Because of the extreme heat that causes the meteor to shine as it burns up in the atmosphere, the

majority of shooting stars appear white or yellow. Green: The high magnesium content of the

meteor is what gives certain shooting stars their green hue. Strong contact with Earth's atmosphere heats

and ionizes magnesium, causing it to release light in the green region of the spectrum. Red:

The existence of molecules in the Earth's atmosphere that generate light in the red portion of the spectrum

is the cause of red shooting stars. The meteor glows red because these chemicals ionize and

excite its atoms. Blue: Although blue shooting stars are not common, they can occur when a meteor contains copper.

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