SP-404 Skylab's Astronomy and Space Sciences
Figure 6-13. Altitude dependence of the absorption of
solar emission lines by atmospheric constituents. The numbers at the
left refer to the altitude index Z at which each spectrum was taken.
(A) Absorption of 1216Å (Lyman-alpha) by molecular oxygen. The
conspicuous absorption in the core is by atomic hydrogen in the
geocorona. (B) Absorption of three lines (1302, 1305, 1306Å) in
their cores by atomic oxygen and in the whole line by molecular
oxygen. (C) Absorption of 1548 and 1551 Å by molecular oxygen.
These lines are near the absorption maximum of molecular oxygen and
are almost entirely absorbed above 150km. (D) Absorption by bands of
molecular oxygen is much weaker at 1900 to 1925Å. The Sun's
emission can therefore penetrate even to balloon altitudes.
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