We have presented detected molecules, atoms, radicals, ions, and dimers in the atmospheres of planets and comets from Earth-based and spaceborne observatories during the last 3 decades. We have reviewed spectroscopic studies on the auroral emissions and air glows of the giant planets, and briefly summarized spectroscopic observations of dimers in the atmospheres of the giant planets and Titan. In particular, we highlighted the recent detections of new molecular emissions and absorptions in the spectra of the giant planets, Titan, and recent bright comets from spaceborne or ground-based observatories. We also reviewed current models and theories of the origin and evolution of the solar system, and implications of isotopic ratios in these atmospheres.

We have constructed a synthetic spectrum of the 2.5 micron C2H C2H bands and compared them with diminutive structures in the near-infrared spectra of Comets P/Halley and West (1976 VI). We found that the Q branches of the C2H C2H bands coincide with two small emission peaks in the spectra of the comets. We undertook Monte Carlo simulations using observed emission intensities of C2 C2 and possibly C2H C2H in Comet P/Halley in order to derive a lifetime range of C2H C2H and a production rate at the time of observations of P/Halley. We obtained a C2H C2H production rate of 1×1027sec−1 1×1027sec−1 for P/Halley on December 20, 1985, assuming the 2.5 micron features are due to C2H C2H . We derived a very short lifetime (<100 seconds) of C2H C2H at 1AU heliocentric distance, assuming that the only parent molecule for C2H C2H and C2 C2 is C2H C2H . Using this short lifetime we were unable to fit our C2 C2 distribution model to C2 C2 distribution curves observed by O'Dell et al.(1988), because our curve shows a steep slope compared with the observed one. We conclude that there must be significant additional source(s) for C2H C2H and C2 C2 other than C2H2 C2H2 .

The A-X (0-0) band of CS, which appears in high dispersion IUE spectra of comets Halley (1982i) and Wilson (19861), has been investigated in detail. We developed models, which include fluorescence and collisional processes We found that in order to account for the observed emission band precisely, IUE tracking errors should be included in line shape calculations it has been found that rotational excitation by electrons is a dominant process in determining populations of rotational ground states. We derived an electron density of 2.0×104/cm3 2.0×104/cm3 at several thousand kilometers from the comet Wilson's nucleus by examining collisional influence on the CS band structure. We presented a band model for the 0-0 band of C34S C34S and discussed the detectability of 34S 34S spectroscopically.