Explosion of a bright meteor from the Perseid stream
Entering the atmosphere, a large space rocks, are often followed by explosions and flares of a red-hot plasma. This video is a stone from the Perseid stream, on the night of August 1, 2018. At the time of the greatest flash intensity, the light was as bright as the full moon in the sky, the glow of the meteor was circular, it was halo, the reflection of light from millions of ice crystals in upper layers of the atmosphere. From another angle where the camera captured only a part of the meteor, there are noctilucent clouds on the horizon.
The intense plasma trace held for several seconds after the disappearance of the meteor, a bright band of hot gases, like a laser beam, glowed bright blue and red light. Rare bright fireballs in the sky often are harbingers of denser clusters of plumes of cosmic stones left by asteroids and comets.
Comet Dust
Each July and August the Earth encounters debris left behind from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. This comet has an orbit of 133 years and last entered the inner solar system in 1992.
The strongest Perseid rates this year are expected to occur on the Sunday night/Monday morning August 12/13, when the Earth closest to the core orbit of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
Theoretically, the best time to watch the Perseids is just before the break of dawn when the radiant lies highest in a dark sky. This is usually around 04:00 local time.
