Thermally stable field compensated Michelson interferometer for measurement of temperature and wind of the planetary atmospheres

A Michelson interferometer has been built to measure the wind and temperature in the earth's upper atmosphere using nightglow emissions from atomic oxygen and radical OH. The interferometer uses field compensation to give large geometric etendu allowing measurements with emission lines of intensity of approximately 30 R at zenith. For wind measurement, it is thermally stabilized permitting operation without difficulty. The instrument incorporates calibration sources allowing temperature and wind measurements. It is operated at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (43 degrees 56'N, 5 degrees 43'E, France) in summer and Sodankyla (67 degrees 22'N, 26 degrees 38'E, Finland) in winter. Its performance is illustrated by some examples of measurements and results.