Abstract
ALTERNATIVE theories1 that seek to explain the mechanism of the selective emission forming the principal component of the night–sky spectrum postulate solar excitation as the primary cause. On this premise the initial ionization of the gas molecules (O2, N2) that are known to exist in the terrestrial high atmosphere is effected either by direct absorption of ultra–violet radiation, or by bombardment with high–speed electrons presumably emitted from the photospheric layers.
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References
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BARBER, D. LIGHT OF THE NIGHT SKY AND TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM. Nature 148, 88–89 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/148088a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/148088a0
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