Simultaneous measurement of OI 557.7 nm, O2 (0, 1) Atmospheric Band and OH (6, 2) Meinel Band nightglow at Kolhapur (17° N), India

Abstract

Near-simultaneous measurements of OI 557.7 nm, O2 (0, 1) Atmospheric Band and OH (6, 2) Meinel Band nightglow were carried out at Kolhapur (17° N), India during February–March 2007. Atmospheric temperatures around 87 and 94 km were derived from the knowledge of intensity measurements of spectral features OH (6, 2) Meinel Band and O2 Atmospheric Band, respectively. An account of the behaviour of derived temperatures has been presented. The nocturnal behaviour of OH and O2 temperatures is governed by the waves of tidal origin, whereas the signatures of planetary wave-like oscillations is noted in the night-to-night variation of two temperatures. This is probably the first report of planetary waves observed in nightglow temperatures from the Indian subcontinent.