The extreme ultraviolet /750-1230 A/ spectrum of an aurora
Extreme ultraviolet auroral spectra have been obtained in the wavelength range of 750-1230 A resolution with a rocket-borne grating spectrometer. Atomic emissions of N I, N II, O I and O II are the dominant features along with geocoronal H I Lyman alpha. N2 emission bands, which appear strongly in laboratory electron impact spectra, appear only as a modest background continuum between 900 to 1100 A. The observed intensities are consistent with electron impact excitation of O and N2. For optically thick emissions, such as N I at 1200 A, radiation transport along the arc results in an intensity enhancement when viewed through the arc towards the zenith.