Oxygen nightglow emissions of Venus: Vertical distribution and collisional quenching

► Visible and near infrared O2 emissions on the Venus nightside are modeled. ► Differences in peak altitudes are interpreted in terms of collisional deactivation. ► We predict higher altitude of the Chamberlain emission than the Herzberg II bands. ► We compare with limb observations from VIRTIS onboard Venus Express. ► We derive values for yields of O2 molecules and collisional quenching coefficients.