Scintillations and random refraction during occultations by terrestrial atmosphere

We report the results of observations of atmospheric refraction fluctuations and scintillations performed aboard the Salyut-6 orbiter. Bodies of various angular diameters (Sun, planets, and stars) were used for the observations. It was ascertained that random variations in refraction owing to the horizontally layered structure of the refractive index take place almost everywhere in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Observations of refraction made it possible to obtain estimates of the characteristic parameters of its horizontally layered structure. A spectrum of glitter was calculated on the basis of observed scintillations of Venus.