IMP-8 PLS: Propagated Solar Wind Data at 60-Second Resolution

Propagated solar wind data from the IMP-8 satellite, linearly interpolated to 60-second resolution in GSE coordinates. The data was constructed by Dr. J.M. Weygand for Prof. R.L. McPherron under NSF grants and uses a minimum variance propagation technique to estimate delays from the satellite to a point just outside Earth's bow shock. It was primarily used in superposed epoch studies of space weather phenomena.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind propagation delays to Earth's magnetosphere based on the described minimum variance technique.
• Conducting superposed epoch studies of magnetospheric events using the 60-second resolution solar wind time series.
• Analyzing correlations between interplanetary magnetic field conditions and magnetospheric response using propagated data.
• Validating space weather prediction models that require upstream solar wind parameters at a consistent cadence.

Strengths

• Data is propagated to a consistent reference point just outside the bow shock (approximately 17, 0, 0 Re), enabling direct comparison with magnetospheric measurements.
• Uses a documented propagation method outlined in peer-reviewed publications by Weimer et al. (2003, 2004).
• Provides a 60-second resolution time series, which is a common cadence for magnetospheric studies.

Limitations

• The propagation method does not work well for shocks and for minimum variance directions with tilts greater than 70 degrees from the sun-earth line, as stated in the description.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and temporal coverage are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Data from the IMP-8 PLS instrument, processed and propagated by Dr. J.M. Weygand using a minimum variance technique and linear interpolation.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:40:49.997671; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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