The Aerosol Layer of the Lower Thermosphere: III. Observation in Absence of the Moon and Under Large Sun's Zenith Angles

The results of the "Terminator" space experiment on board the International Space Station are given. Observations have been realized under limb geometry in the visual and near infrared ranges of the spectrum in absence of the Moon and under large Sun's zenith angles (>145°). The treatment of the obtained digital photos has shown that our previous conception of the scattering mechanism of the observed emission layer to be faulty in absence of sun's backlight. In the present paper the emission of the observed layer is considered as thermal radiation of meteoric particles, preheated to 2000-3000 K on entering the atmosphere.