Ultraviolet emissions in the planetary atmospheres

Abstract

Actual state and perspectives of the observations of the planetary atmospheres in the ultraviolet range of wavelengths are discussed. The main features of the planetary aeronomy for terrestrial planets, giant planets and exoplanets-transits are given. The following hot problems of the planetary astronomy in the UV wavelength range are discussed: (i) UV observations of hot coronas of the terrestrial planets; (ii) formation and morphology of the rarefied H2O-, O2- and O-dominant atmospheres of the icy satellites in the giant planet systems; formation and evolution of the neutral gas clouds in the giant planet systems; (iii) studies of the extended hydrogen coronae of the transit-exoplanets formed due to the stellar UV and plasma wind forcing. The mathematical models such as the Monte Carlo model for the electron, proton, and heavy-ion precipitation into the planetary atmospheres are also discussed. Such models are currently used to calculate the excitation rates of the atmospheric UV emissions and will be used for the interpretation of the expected UV observations of the planetary atmospheres with the space observatory World Space Observatory–Ultraviolet (WSO–UV).