MEASURING AIRGLOW
New Instrument For Scott Base
A new, specially-designed instrument for measuring the yellow component of the airglow is being sent to Scott Base aboard the United States Navy ship Arneb. The instrument, a sodium photometer, was developed at the Auroral Station, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Lauder, by Mr A. E. Adams and Dr. M Gadsden.
The airglow is a diffuse glow in the sky. The yellow component is generally most evident about twilight, and emanates from about 50 miles up—2o to 25 miles lower than the aurora (to which, so far as is known, it is unrelated).
The airglow has been measured at Scott Base by a spectrograph, which gives readings of all the components of the airglow but usually takes about two hours to make each reading. Even on such a long time-base, however, large day-to-day variations were observed in the intensity of the yellow component, and the Auroral Station is anxious to record any short-term variations which may take place The sodium photometer, which records individual lightphotons on a photomultiplier and pulse-counter system, can disclose variations over periods of the order of one minute. It works on the sodium emission lines at 5890 and 5896 angstroms.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CI, Issue 29742, 8 February 1962, Page 9
Word Count
202MEASURING AIRGLOW Press, Volume CI, Issue 29742, 8 February 1962, Page 9
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