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Satellite observations of the nitric oxide nightglow
Author(s) -
Gerard JeanClaude
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl002i005p00179
Subject(s) - airglow , satellite , physics , rocket (weapon) , atmospheric sciences , ultraviolet , excitation , sounding rocket , intensity (physics) , environmental science , remote sensing , computational physics , atomic physics , geology , astronomy , optics , aerospace engineering , quantum mechanics , engineering
The NO δ‐bands have been observed photometrically by the ultraviolet telescope onboard the TD‐1 ESRO satellite. The maximum intensity for the system is about 220 R, in good agreement with a previous rocket measurement. Assuming that the excitation is due to the N + O → NO(C²Π, v=0) preassociation, we used the observed profile to derive the atomic nitrogen density distribution. We found a peak of about 9 × 10 7 cm −3 at about 180 km. A comparison is made with theoretical predictions, and some implications of such a high N( 4 S) density are discussed.