The shuttle solar backscatter ultraviolet (SSBUV) spectrometer measured nitric oxide (NO) &ggr;(1,0) and &ggr;(0,2) band solar fluorescence at 215 and 247 nm, respectively, over a total of four orbits in April 1993 and eight orbits in March 1994. From nadir observations the apparent NO column abundance down to 1 mbar was inferred as a function of latitude and longitude using modeled &ggr; band emission rate factors. SSBUV 5 results show a factor of 2 increase in NO from 20 ¿S--20 ¿N to 40¿--60 ¿S and a large variation of NO with a strong dependence on geomagnetic latitude near 52 ¿S. Nimbus 7 solar backscatter ultraviolet (SBUV) spectrometer NO &ggr; band fluorescence observations made between 1979 and 1986 were compared with SSBUV observations, and results from the two experiments are consistent for the latitudes observed by SSBUV. Coincident with some of the SSBUV solar fluorescence observations were absorption observations in the 5.3 &mgr;m band of NO by the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE). A one-dimensional model was used to adjust the HALOE density profiles inferred from sunrise occultations to the local solar time of the SSBUV observations. The emission rate factor model was used to convert these density profiles to nadir intensities for direct comparison with SSBUV observations. Results show that HALOE inferred intensities are generally within 25% of SSBUV observations on the same day.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union