Interesting observation - I think the colour you saw probably came from a chemical compound found in either the rock [meteorite] or in the metal [space junk] and the combustion created the burning colour.
I've seen 'shooting stars' - meteorites entering the Earth's atmosphere usually burn white, as they did not so long ago when there was a meteor shower across the UK from a nearby comet or something.
Hopefully that answers your question, but I expect Google can give you a better answer.
Shooting Star - Or Was It?
in mike Meehan's Blog
A blog by mike Meehan in Archive
Posted
Hi Mike,
Interesting observation - I think the colour you saw probably came from a chemical compound found in either the rock [meteorite] or in the metal [space junk] and the combustion created the burning colour.
I've seen 'shooting stars' - meteorites entering the Earth's atmosphere usually burn white, as they did not so long ago when there was a meteor shower across the UK from a nearby comet or something.
Hopefully that answers your question, but I expect Google can give you a better answer.