CNOFS VEFI: Satellite Optical Lightning Data at 0.5-Second Resolution

Two photodiodes on the C/NOFS satellite measure white light irradiance at 2 Hz across 7 threshold values in north and south directions. The data set contains low-rate Vector Electric Field Instrument (VEFI) data from nighttime passes within a 401 km to 867 km altitude domain. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identifying lightning occurrence patterns based on 2 Hz white light irradiance measurements.
• Investigating correlations between lightning and ionospheric disturbances based on the satellite's orbital data.
• Analyzing directional light intensity based on the north and south look directions of the photodiodes.
• Validating atmospheric models using electric field and optical data from a low-inclination orbit satellite.

Strengths

• Data is collected at a 0.5-second temporal resolution.
• Measurements are taken across 7 distinct irradiance threshold values.
• Data originates from a NASA satellite instrument, suggesting authoritative collection methods.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data coverage is limited to nighttime satellite passes within a specific altitude range.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data gathered by the Vector Electric Field Instrument (VEFI) on the C/NOFS satellite during its orbit.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly specified in the provided metadata.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 11:09:34.322564; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage along the satellite's low-inclination (13-degree) orbit.