Spectrum of the Jovian aurora 1150--1700 A

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL009i006p00652· OSTI ID:7063526

Durrance, S T; Feldman, P D; Moos, H W

A series of observations of the Northern hemisphere of Jupiter was made in January 1981 using the International Ultraviolet Explorer short-wavelength spectrograph. Exposures of 15 minutes each were made at regular intervals of about 45 minutes around the time when Jupiter's north magnetic pole was tilted toward the Earth. The auroral emissions of H Lyman-..cap alpha.., and the H/sub 2/ Lyman- and Werner-bands are seen to emanate from a localized region near the north pole. Their intensity increases and decreases in a periodic way as the planet rotates with the maximum occurring at lambda/sub III/approx.185/sup 0/. Using the three observations nearest the observed maximum, a composite spectrum of the aurora is obtained with about 8 A resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio, and many of the H/sub 2/ Lyman- and Werner-bands in this spectral region (1150--1700 A) are identified. This spectrum is compared with a laboratory H/sub 2/ spectrum and with photoabsorption cross sections for CH/sub 4/ and C/sub 2/H/sub 6/ An upper limit to the slant column density of these hydrocarbons above the auroral emissions is found to be approx.2 x 10/sup 17/ cm/sup -2/.

• Research Organization: Physics Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
• OSTI ID: 7063526
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 9:6; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
AURORAE
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN
JUPITER PLANET
LYMAN LINES
NONMETALS
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
PLANETS
RESOLUTION
VARIATIONS