Infrared spectra of the Jovian atmosphere around 2.1 and 4.0 microns, measured using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, are presented. The observations were made between February 6 and 8, 1990. In both spectral regions, features attributable to H3(+) were visible. The intensity ratio of lines in the 2 and 4 microns regions measured from the northern auroral 'hot spot' during the same night leads to a rovibrational temperature of 1100 + or - 100 K for this molecular ion, close to a previous measurement of the rotational temperature of 1099 + or - 100 K. This indicates that the upper energy levels are being populated by purely thermal processes, rather than by resonant energy exchange. The para-H3(+) fractional abundance of 0.58 determined by previous workers is found to be consistent with this study. The time dependency of the H3(+) emission phenomena is confirmed.
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Miller et al. (1990) studied this question.