why does a meteor glow?
Location: Lovund, Nordland, Norway. Meteors become incandescent â or glow â almost as soon as they hit Earthâs atmosphere. Some meteors, such as the Perseids in August, burn up in the atmosphere at about 100 kilometers â or 60 miles â above Earthâs surface. Other meteors, such as the Draconids in October, fall to 70 kilometers â or about 40 miles â before they heat up enough to glow and vaporize. The difference is that the Draconids are much slower meteors than the Perseids. So the height in the atmosphere at which a meteor begins to glow depends on its arrival speed.