IMP 6 LANL: Hourly Solar Wind Plasma Parameters with Anisotropy

IMP 6 LANL 1-hr plasma data is a NASA dataset of hourly solar wind parameters, including temperature anisotropy and alpha/proton ratio. The dataset was created in 2003 by the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) by averaging 2-minute resolution data provided by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) over multiple years. Magnetosheath data were excluded from the source data, and this hourly set supersedes previous hourly solar wind data from LANL.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind-magnetosphere coupling based on hourly plasma parameters.
• Analyzing long-term trends in solar wind composition based on the alpha/proton ratio.
• Studying plasma temperature anisotropy and its implications for space weather.
• Validating solar wind models using averaged, cleaned data from the IMP 6 satellite.

Strengths

• Includes specific plasma parameters like temperature anisotropy and alpha/proton ratio.
• Data is cleaned, with magnetosheath data excluded from the source.
• Created by a authoritative source (NASA/NSSDC) from LANL-provided data.
• Supersedes previous hourly data versions, suggesting an improved product.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is stored in a BIN format, which may require specialized tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Collection Method

Averaging of 2-minute resolution solar wind data from the IMP 6 satellite, with magnetosheath data excluded.

Time Range

Covers multiple years of data, with the hourly dataset created in 2003.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:53:57.318242; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Space-based measurements from the IMP 6 satellite.