Airglow
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Airglow
The quasi-steady radiant emission from the upper atmosphere
as distinguished from the sporadic emission of the auroras.
Airglow is a
chemiluminescence due primarily to
the emission of the molecules O2 and N2, the radical OH, and
the atoms O and Na. Emissions observed in airglow could arise
from three-body atom collisions forming molecules, from two-body reactions between atoms and molecules, or from recombination of ions.
Historically, airglow has referred to visual radiation.
Some recent studies use airglow to refer to radiation outside the visual range.
References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
