Measurements of the earth's airglow in the vacuum ultraviolet

A valuable by-product of the OAO-2 astronomy mission has been the first extensive set of measurements of the earth's airglow between 1000 and 3000 A. These measurements, made with the Wisconsin experiment package, provide clues to the structure and chemistry of the upper atmosphere. The most significant results from these observations are: (1) the detailed altitude profile of the emissions from the dark and sunlit earth limb; and (2) the confirmation of recent theories concerning the source of the dayglow radiation between 1350 and 1700 A.