This paper introduces a new system that can monitor aurora and atmospheric airglow using a low-cost Watec monochromatic imager (WMI) equipped with a sensitive camera, a filter with high transmittance, and the non-telecentric optics. The WMI system with 486-nm, 558-nm, and 630-nm band-pass filters has observable luminosity of about ~200–4000 Rayleigh for 1.07-sec exposure time and about ~40–1200 Rayleigh for 4.27-sec exposure time, for example. It is demonstrated that the WMI system is capable of detecting 428-nm auroral intensities properly, through comparison with those measured with a collocated electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) imager system with narrower band-pass filter. The WMI system has two distinct advantages over the existing system: One makes it possible to reduce overall costs, and the other is that it enables the continuous observation even under twilight and moonlight conditions. Since 2013 a set of multi-wavelength WMIs has been operating in northern Scandinavia, Svalbard, and Antarctica to study meso- and large-scale aurora and airglow phenomena. Future development of the low-cost WMI system is expected to provide a great opportunity for constructing a global network for multi-wavelength aurora and airglow monitoring.

本文介绍了一种新系统，该系统可以使用低成本的Watec单色成像仪（WMI）来监视极光和大气中的辉光，该成像仪配备了灵敏的摄像头，高透射率的滤光片和非远心光学元件。具有486nm，558nm和630nm带通滤光片的WMI系统在1.07秒的曝光时间内可观察到的光度约为200-4000瑞利，在4.27秒的曝光时间内可观察到的光度约为40-1200 Rayleigh，例如。通过与并置的带窄带通滤波器的电子倍增电荷耦合器件（EMCCD）成像系统进行比较，证明WMI系统能够正确检测428 nm的极光强度。与现有系统相比，WMI系统具有两个明显的优势：一个可以降低总体成本，另一个是即使在暮光和月光的条件下也可以连续观察。自2013年以来，一套多波长WMI已在北欧的斯堪的纳维亚半岛，斯瓦尔巴特群岛和南极洲运行，以研究中尺度和大规模的极光和气辉现象。低成本WMI系统的未来发展有望为构建用于多波长极光和气辉监测的全球网络提供巨大的机会。