  An ultraviolet-visible spectrum between 300 and 450 nm of a cometary
meteoroid that originated from 55P/Tempel-Tuttle was investigated, and its new
molecules, induced by atmospheric interaction, were discovered. The
spectroscopy was carried out using an intensified high-definition TV camera
with a slitless reflection grating during the 2001 Leonid meteor shower over
Japan. A best-fit calculation mixed with atoms and molecules confirmed the
first discovery of N2+ (B-X) bands in the UV meteor spectrum. The N2+
temperature was estimated to be 10,000 K with a low number density of 1.55 x
10^5 cm-3. Such unexpectedly strong ultraviolet emission, in particular for
N2+(1,0) at 353.4 nm, is supposed to be formed through the wide dimensions of
high-temperature regions caused by a large meteoroid. Spectroscopic
observations of reentry capsules will provide us with good opportunities for
confirming the discovered N2+.
