Seasonal And Diurnal Variation In The Vertical
Structure Of The Martian Nitric Oxide Nightglow Layer
Zachariah Milby, Nicholas M. Schneider, Sonal K. Jain, Kyle Connour, Lasp, U. Colorado, Usa
(Nick.Schneider@Lasp.Colorado.Edu) Francisco González-Galindo, Instituto De Astrofísica De Andalucía (Iaacsic), Granada, Spain, Franck Lefèvre, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales
(Latmos), Cnrs, Sorbonne Université, Uvsq, Paris, France, François Forget, Laboratoire De Météorologie
Dynamique/Ipsl, Institut Universitaire De France, Sorbonne Université, École Normale, Jean-Claude Gérard,
Laboratoire De Physique Atmosphérique Et Planétaire (Lpap), Université De Liège, Liège, Belgium
Introduction:
Nitric Oxide (No) Nightglow Is An Emission Feature That Can Provide Insight Into The Dynamics Of The
Martian Middle Atmosphere (Figure 1). It Is An Atmospheric Airglow Phenomenon Produced By The
Chemi-Luminescent Relaxation Of Excited No Molecules And Is The Brightest Middle-Ultraviolet (Muv)
Spectral Feature In The Martian Nightside Atmosphere,
With The Occasional Exception Of Aurora (Schneider
Et Al., 2018). No Forms When Carbon Dioxide And
Molecular Nitrogen Dissociate On The Dayside, The
Atoms Get Transported To The Nightside And The Resultant Nitrogen And Oxygen Recombine. The Reaction
Leaves The Resulting Molecule In An Excited State
Which Decays Radiatively By Giving Off One Photon.
Because The Brightness Is Proportional To The Recombination Rate Of Nitrogen And Oxygen Atoms, It Responds To The Dayside Photo-Dissociation Rates Of
Carbon Dioxide (Co) And Molecular Nitrogen (N2), To