Solar Ultraviolet Absorption Measurements at Thumba Using Rocket-borne Ultraviolet Detectors

Abstract

Rocket borne ultraviolet detectors have been used at Thumba to measure the solar radiation flux within selected wavelength bands in the extreme ultraviolet and to study the absorption of these radiations in the earth's atmosphere. The absorption profile of extreme ultraviolet radiation in the atmosphere can be used to derive the number densities of the main absorbing constituent in the atmosphere, namely molecular oxygen. In this paper the rocket-borne instrument is described in detail. A brief outline of the method of analysis as well as some experimental results are also presented.