Fénycsóva

Fénycsóva, literally "light tail," is a term used to describe a luminous trail that appears behind a moving bright object in the sky. The trail is produced by processes such as ionization, combustion, or scattering of light, and it is typically transient, lasting from fractions of a second to several moments, or longer in special cases.

In natural phenomena, fénycsóvák most commonly appear as meteor trails. When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it heats the surrounding air and itself, creating a bright, narrow streak of light along its path. Some meteors leave persistent trains that can remain faintly visible for seconds to minutes after the initial flash, driven by ionization and atmospheric chemistry. The color and brightness of a meteor trail depend on the meteoroid’s composition and the surrounding atmospheric conditions.

Fénycsóvák can also be observed as artificial trails, such as exhaust plumes from aircraft or rocket launches, seen at high altitudes under favorable lighting when the plume is illuminated by the Sun or city lights. These trails may appear as elongated, glowing lines that slowly disperse.

Observations of fénycsóvák contribute to meteor science and atmospheric studies, including insights into atmospheric composition, ionization processes, and the behavior of high-altitude plumes. Long-exposure photography and video are common methods for documenting and analyzing these phenomena.

See also: meteor, meteor shower, rocket plume, contrail, atmospheric optics.