Helios 2 E6: Hourly Solar and Galactic Particle Fluxes from 0.3 to 1.0 AU

Hourly averaged particle flux data from the Helios 2 spacecraft's E6 experiment, measuring protons, electrons, and alpha particles in interplanetary space. The dataset covers the energy range from 0.3 MeV to 51 MeV and was collected by a particle telescope developed by Germany in cooperation with NASA. Data spans the mission's operational range from 0.3 to 1.0 Astronomical Units (AU).

Use Cases

• Modeling solar particle event propagation based on multi-channel proton and alpha particle fluxes.
• Analyzing galactic cosmic ray modulation based on integral flux measurements for particles above 48 MeV.
• Studying electron energy spectra in interplanetary space based on the five electron energy channels.
• Correlating particle flux time series with solar activity based on the hourly averaged data structure.

Strengths

• Data includes differential and integral fluxes for protons, electrons, and alpha particles across multiple energy channels.
• Instrument was calibrated prior to launch using radioactive sources, particle accelerators, and ground-level muons.
• Standard deviations for some energy channel averages are provided, indicating data quality metrics.

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 energy boundaries for two electron channels (0.2 to 0.8 and 0.8 to 2 MeV) are described as 'rough estimates'.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the E6 particle telescope on the Helios-B spacecraft.

Time Range

Covers the Helios 2 mission operational period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:30:14.547070; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Interplanetary space from 0.3 to 1.0 Astronomical Units from the Sun.