The PROBA2 team is happy to announce the release of a new data product: the Earth atmosphere O+N2 (Oxygen and Nitrogen) number density profiles. These profiles are derived from solar occultation measurements by LYRA and are available here. LYRA (Large Yield RAdiometer, formerly LYman alpha RAdiometer) is an ultraviolet irradiance radiometer that observes the Sun in four passbands, chosen for their relevance to solar physics, aeronomy and space weather. This instrument can also detect flares and analyze the atmospheric composition of the Earth.
The number density profiles are produced daily from beginning of December till end of January and are based on the backup unit (unit 3) measurements to limit the impact of instrumental degradation. The O+N2 number density profiles cover altitudes ranging from 150 to 400km, a region of the atmosphere that has been historically difficult to measure. These data are therefore ideal to help validate atmosphere models or to characterize the thermospheric variability due to space weather events, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This new data product is the result of a fruitful collaboration with Dr. E. Thiemann from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder, Colorado in the frame of the PROBA2 Guest Investigator Program. More information is available at the PROBA2 webpage.
Source text by Marie Dominique and the PROBA2 team
