GOMOS, global ozone monitoring by occultation of stars

Abstract

GOMOS (for Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars) is one of the core instruments of the ESA environmental mission ENVISAT-1 scheduled for 1998. It provides ozone measurements through an original principle using preselected stars as light sources and making consecutive ultraviolet-visible-infrared spectra for each given star while the star sets behind the horizon. Vertical profiles of ozone and other species can then be derived allowing a permanent monitoring of ozone distribution at a global scale with an unprecedented accuracy. This paper gives an overview of the GOMOS mission and describes in more details the instrument and its expected performances.