Abstract
Nitric oxide in the lower thermosphere has been measured by means of the NO gamma band day airglow. A UV photometer with NO gas cells is used for correlation spectroscopy to discriminate the NO day airglow from the continuum due to the Rayleigh scattering of solar UV. Using this instrument, rocket observations at Uchinoura (31°N) around sunset obtained 5 profiles of NO height distribution at different phases of solar activity. Maximum density of NO occurring at a height of 105–110 km exhibits a variation of factor 8 as F10.7 varies from 71 to 259 units. Two rocket observations made at Thumba (9°N) after sunrise using the same technique showed a similar variation due to solar activity for F10.7 = 73 to 116 unites. The relative amplitude of the NO variation due to solar activity is consistent with those from the SME satellite observations, although there is a systematic discrepancy in the absolute NO densities between these data sets.
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