The O I (6300 Å) airglow

The measurement capability of the Atmosphere Explorer (AE) satellite series has been used to investigate the detailed chemistry of O(¹ D ) atoms in the earth's thermosphere. Measurements of the O I (³ P ‐¹ D ) transition at 6300 Å on AE have been used to infer the strength of the O 2 + dissociative recombination source of O(¹ D ), (β¹ D ) the quenching rate of O(¹ D ) by molecular nitrogen ( K N 2 ), and the value of the photodissociation rate of O 2 ( J o 2 ). Values inferred from the measurements for β¹ D , K N 2 , and J o 2 are 1.33, 3 × 10 −11 cm³ s −1 , and 3 × 10 −6 s −1 respectively. The photoelectron impact source of O(¹ D ) has also been investigated. A unimolecular rate constant for this process derived from the airglow data agrees well with current theoretical calculations. Morning and evening twilight 6300‐Å data compare favorably with those calculated by a time‐dependent model of the mid‐latitude ionosphere.