Auroral spectra have been obtained in the 3380- to 3560-¿ region to study the [NI> 4S-2P doublet at 3466 ¿. The [NI> 3466 ¿/N2 Vegard-Kaplan ratio is found to remain constant. This is in agreement with the results of model calculation showing that the dominant source of N(2P) atoms is dissociative excitation of N2 by fast electrons, and the major quenching agent is atomic oxygen. A value of about 5¿109 cm-3 is deduced for the ratio of the N(2P) quantum yield to the atomic oxygen deactivation coefficient.