Abstract
In directions away from the Milky Way, most of the visible light from the night sky comes from a glowing layer of gas at an altitude of ∼97 km. About 20% of this light is concentrated in a sharp green line at 557.7 nm which is a prominant feature of the visible portion of the night airglow. This emission comes from an excited oxygen atom (O(1S)), but the mechanism by which this state is populated has been the subject of controversy ever since the emission was first identified in 19251. We present here new laboratory evidence concerning the processes governing the 557.7-nm emission of O(1S).
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Kenner, R., Ogryzlo, E. & Wassell, P. Excitation of the green line in the night airglow. Nature 291, 398–399 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/291398a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/291398a0
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