Coincident Imaging and Spectrometric Observations of Zenith OH Nightglow Structure
During the ALOHA-90 campaign a novel comparative study was made between near infrared wave structure imaged in the zenith using a CCD camera and that detected at infrared wavelengths by a Fourier Transform Spectrometer. Coincident measurements were made briefly on several occasions and for an extended period on 31 March. The temporal variations imaged in the near infrared structure during this night almost completely matched those detected in the OH (3,1) band spectrometer data when similar viewing fields were compared. However, the image data also displayed small scale wave forms that were not resolved by the larger field instrument. These structures exhibited significant changes in brightness and position on a time scale much shorter than the local Brunt-Vaisala period indicating that very high resolution measurements are necessary to investigate short period (<20 min) upper atmospheric wave motions.
OH airglow phenomena during the 5-6 July 1982 total lunar eclipse.
The first photographs of the OH airglow we took during a lunar eclipse revealed large (20–30-km) east–west waves from horizon to horizon which drifted northward at 10–15 m/sec. These waves were not typical of the ripples we have found to be well-correlated with lower lunar transit.
Night airglow hydroxyl rotational temperatures
Rotational temperatures have been determined from observations of the OH emission in the night airglow. It is proposed that an apparent increase in the derived rotational temperature with the value of K′ may be explained in terms of a nonisothermal emitting region.