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Night Airglow Observations from Orbiting Spacecraft Compared with Measurements from Rockets
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|June 7, 1963
Summary
Researchers detected a luminous band on the night horizon, identified as night airglow. Rocket data confirmed observations of this phenomenon, but differed on its primary light source.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric physics
- Geophysics
- Optical astronomy
Background:
- A luminous band observed at the night-time horizon, termed horizon enhancement, has been documented by astronauts.
- This phenomenon is associated with the night airglow, a natural emission of light in Earth's upper atmosphere.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze and compare observations of the night airglow horizon enhancement from orbital and rocket-borne experiments.
- To determine the primary source of luminosity within this observed band.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of observational data from astronaut J. H. Glenn and M. S. Carpenter.
- Comparison of orbital observations with data obtained from rocket-borne night airglow studies.
- Spectroscopic analysis to identify emission lines and continuum contributing to the luminosity.
Main Results:
- Luminance and dip angle values from Carpenter's observations closely matched rocket-derived data for the horizon enhancement.
- Rocket-borne studies indicated that the principal luminosity originated from the green continuum, not the atomic oxygen line at 5577 Å as suggested by Carpenter.
- Regular detection of the horizon enhancement was confirmed through rocket-borne night airglow investigations.
Conclusions:
- The horizon enhancement of night airglow is a consistently detectable phenomenon.
- While orbital and rocket data align on luminance and dip angle, the primary emission mechanism differs, with rocket data favoring the green continuum over the atomic oxygen line.
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