Variability of the nitric oxide nightglow at Venus during solar minimum

Emilie M. Royer 1 Franck Montmessin 2 Emmanuel Marcq 2
1 LASP - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder]
2 IMPEC - LATMOS
LATMOS - Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales
Abstract : We present results from a NO airglow inversion method based on Venus Express data acquired from 2006 to 2010, during the last solar minimum period. We retrieve an altitude of 114 ± 10 km for the emission peak of the NO layer, with an associated scale height of 20 ± 10 km and an average limb brightness of 59.3 kR with a standard deviation of 63 kR. The inversion method allows for the quantification of the horizontal homogeneity of the NO layer. Images of the SPICAV field of view show a great variability of airglow morphologies, with NO layers that can be horizontally homogenous and continuous over distances exceeding 100 km, as well as sporadic patches of NO on a smaller horizontal scale. Frequent secondary emissions seen at lower tangent altitudes are the signatures of the complex dynamics of the upper Venusian atmosphere.
Keywords : Venus Upper atmosphere Airglow Nitric Oxide
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Journal articles
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Submitted on : Saturday, April 30, 2016 - 11:28:33 AM
Last modification on : Friday, July 26, 2019 - 1:44:04 PM

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Emilie M. Royer, Franck Montmessin, Emmanuel Marcq. Variability of the nitric oxide nightglow at Venus during solar minimum. Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets, Wiley-Blackwell, 2016, 121 (5), pp.846-853. ⟨10.1002/2016JE005013⟩. ⟨insu-01309689⟩

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