Visible/NIR Nightglow on Venus as Seen by VIRTIS/Venus Express

García Muñoz, Antonio; Mills, F.; Slanger, T.; Piccioni, G.; Drossart, P.; VIRTIS/Venus Express Team
Bibliographical reference

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #48.07

Advertised on:
9
2009
Number of authors
6
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
Two recent works [1-2] have investigated Venus' O2 c-X and NO C-A nightglow from spectra taken by VIRTIS/Venus Express during the first year in orbit of the spacecraft. The O2 c(0)-X(v'') progression at 400-700 nm has been known for more than three decades. However, observations of this system from space or from Earth have been rare. The O2 a(0)-X(0) band at 1.27 µm, which is three orders of magnitude more intense and also accessible from the ground, has been a more frequent target of observation. Prior to the VIRTIS/Venus Express discovery, the NO C(0)-A(0) transition at 1.22 µm had been anticipated but not observed. The detection of this band occurred during an event of enhanced emission, which provides further evidence of the varying conditions in Venus' upper atmosphere. From the data collected by the instrument since early 2007, we are creating a picture of the O2 c-X and NO C-A nightglow with seasonal, global and vertical resolution. In the present work, an extension of the analysis from the data collected after 2007 will be presented. Refs.: [1] García Muñoz et al. JGR (under review); [2] García Muñoz et al. (2009), PNAS, 106, 4, 985-988.