Genesis GEM: Interplanetary Magnetic Field Orientation Proxy

Vector direction data of peak suprathermal electron flux measured by the Genesis Electron Monitor (GEM) instrument. This direction serves as a proxy for the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field, with angles provided in Geocentric Solar Ecliptic (GSE) coordinates. The dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling interplanetary magnetic field orientation based on suprathermal electron flux direction.
• Analyzing solar wind structure and dynamics using the magnetic field proxy.
• Correlating field orientation with other space weather phenomena.
• Validating magnetospheric models using the GSE coordinate angle data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a NASA instrument (Genesis Electron Monitor), indicating authoritative collection.
• Provides a direct proxy for a key heliospheric parameter (interplanetary magnetic field orientation).
• Angles are given in a standard space physics coordinate system (Geocentric Solar Ecliptic).

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The true magnetic field polarity (+ or -) cannot be determined from the GEM instrument.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the Genesis Electron Monitor (GEM) instrument.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:37:00.735495; freshness should be verified.

Geography

null