THE SEASONAL VARIATION AND EXCITATION MECHANISM OF THE 1.58 MICRON 1 SUB DELTA SUB G-3 ZETA SUB G-TWILIGHT AIRGLOW BAND,
Abstract
A strong seasonal variation has been found in the brightness band at 1.58 micron of the twilight airglow. There is a maximum around January and a minimum during the summer. Direct excitation of atmospheric oxygen by solar radiation through resonance phosphorescence seems unable to account for the seasonal brightness variation or for our measurements of the brightness variation during the twilight. An alternative hypothesis that the O2 molecules are produced by the dissociation of ozone in the Hartley continuum has been examined and the brightness of the twilight emission calculated by numerical solution of the appropriate differential equations. This mechanism provides a much stronger source of O2 molecules and could account satisfactorily for the observed brightness and its twilight decay. The seasonal variation, however, remains unexplained. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 13, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0425132
Entities
People
- A. Vallance Jones
- R. L. Gattinger
Organizations
- University of Saskatchewan