Elsevier

Astroparticle Physics

Volume 24, Issues 4–5, December 2005, Pages 400-408
Astroparticle Physics

UV radiation from the atmosphere: Results of the MSU “Tatiana” satellite measurements

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2005.09.001Get rights and content

Abstract

In the space experiment a near visual UV radiation (NUV) from the Earth atmosphere was measured during the moon month. At moonless local nights the results of previous measurements are confirmed: NUV intensity is in limits of 3 × 107–108 photons/cm2 s sr. At the background of natural NUV light the light from big cities was registered. In a detector FOV (the corresponding diameter of the observed atmosphere area is 250 km) the brightest cities radiate NUV comparable with the natural level. At moon nights the NUV intensity depends on the moon phase, the moon local zenith angle and cloud cover. Monitoring of the average NUV intensity shows that only in 1/4 of the moon month the average intensity is over 109 photons/cm2 s sr. The method of digital oscilloscope was applied for searching and registering the short NUV flashes (from 1 to 10 ms). The trigger system selects the brightest flash in one satellite circulation. In the registered NUV flashes the energy radiating in the atmosphere in 1–10 ms is of the order of 1011–1013 erg. Those energetic flashes are found to be concentrated in the Earth equatorial region.

Section snippets

UV detector on board the “Tatiana” satellite

The “Universitetsky-Tatiana” (in short “Tatiana”) micro-satellite was planned by Moscow State University as an educational mission with a program of a near Earth space study. At the same time launching of the satellite gave a chance to develop a new approach for registering the near UV light from the atmosphere and to test the photo sensors and their electronics designed for space detectors TUS/KLYPVE [1], [2] directed to ultra high energy cosmic rays study. The launch of the “Tatiana” was

Results of the UV intensity measurements

We have analyzed the data on UV intensity collected from January 20 to March 12, during approximately one moon month. Results on the average UV intensity as a function of the Moon phase m (m is the fraction of the Moon surface illuminated by the Sun) are presented in Fig. 6.

One can see that the UV intensity does not repeat the light radiation function of the Moon. It is understood when the back scattered UV light intensity Isc is calculated as a function of the moon phase “m” and its local

The short UV flashes from the atmosphere

The use of the digital oscilloscope allows us to select and to record the temporal profiles of the short UV flashes. The “flash” event finding algorithm was usual for selection of the signal pulses above a given amplitude (charge) threshold. It was organized in the digital sector of the electronics. In this algorithm the signal in a given number of time samples (which determines the trigger integration time) is compared with the signal in the previous, same number of samples. A difference

Conclusion

 

  • 1.

    The “Tatiana” UV detector confirms the values of near UV (λ = 300–400 nm) intensity at moonless local nights known from the previous measurements from space and balloons. The minimal intensity observed is 3 × 107 photons/cm2 s sr, the maximal intensity is 108 photons/cm2 s sr.

  • 2.

    We did not find extraordinary UV light excess above the large cities. In detector field of view 15° the largest city light in UV range is 2–3 times more than the UV intensity over ocean at moonless night.

  • 3.

    At moon nights the UV

References (7)

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    Instruments and experimental techniques

    (2005)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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