Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1991

Abstract

The Pioneer Venus Orbiter Ultraviolet Spectrometer has recorded continuous but variable emissions of atomic oxygen at 1304 and 1356 Å in images of the nightside of Venus. We show that the observed intensities are consistent with the presence of precipitation of soft electrons into the nightside thermosphere. Model calculations are presented in which upper and lower limits to the magnitude of the electron flux necessary to produce the observed intensities are derived. Constraints are imposed on the energy spectrum of the electrons by the measured ion densities and by the predicted intensities of other emissions that have not been detected.

Comments

Copyright © 1991 by the American Geophysical Union.

The following article appeared in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 96(A6), and may be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/91JA00252/full

Permission to Deposit an Article in an Institutional Repository:

Adopted by Council 13 December 2009.

AGU allows authors to deposit their journal articles if the version is the final published citable version of record, the AGU copyright statement is clearly visible on the posting, and the posting is made 6 months after official publication by the AGU.

DOI

10.1029/91JA00252

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