Abstract
The thermospheric nitric oxide density at solar minimum was measured by means of the gamma band day airglow with a rocket-borne photometer launched from Uchinoura (31°N) on January 15, 1987. The peak density was about 1.4×107cm-3 at an altitude of 105-110km, and the density decreased with altitude as an exponential function. This result is consistent with observations made at the last solar minimum, and allows us to construct an observational model for the variation in thermospheric nitric oxide profiles throughout a solar cycle at a low latitude.
