ICON MIGHTI: Thermospheric Wind and Temperature Measurements from Satellite

NASA's ICON MIGHTI instrument measures horizontal wind speed and direction in the thermosphere using Doppler spectroscopy. The dataset is produced by combining line-of-sight observations from two perpendicular fields of view (A and B) to determine the wind vector, and includes temperature measurements derived from molecular oxygen A-band spectra. The data was last updated on 2026-03 13.

Use Cases

• Modeling thermospheric wind patterns based on Doppler shift measurements of atomic oxygen lines.
• Analyzing temperature variations in the upper atmosphere based on molecular oxygen A-band spectral shape.
• Validating and improving global atmospheric circulation models using vector wind data derived from two viewing directions.
• Investigating space weather effects on the ionosphere-thermosphere system using high-resolution remote sensing data.

Strengths

• Wind vector is derived from two perpendicular viewing directions (45° and 135° azimuth), enabling more complete measurements.
• Employs field-widened, temperature-compensated DASH spectrometers for precise Doppler shift measurement.
• Multiple atmospheric parameters (wind and temperature) are detected on a single, cooled CCD detector for each field of view.
• Includes on-board calibration sources to periodically quantify instrument thermal drifts.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the MIGHTI instrument on the ICON spacecraft, using Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) spectroscopy.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:57:12.309708; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbit.