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

Propagated solar wind data from the IMP-8 satellite, linearly interpolated to a 60-second resolution in GSM coordinates. The data was constructed by Dr. J.M. Weygand for Prof. R.L. McPherron under National Science Foundation grants ATM 02-1798 and ATM 02-08501. The propagation method is based on the minimum variance technique described by Dan Weimer et al. in 2003 and 2004.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind propagation delays to the magnetosphere based on the described minimum variance technique.
• Analyzing solar wind parameter time series for correlation with geomagnetic activity.
• Conducting superposed epoch studies of space weather events using propagated, time-aligned data.
• Validating or comparing solar wind propagation models against the Weimer method.

Strengths

• Data is propagated to a consistent reference point just outside the bow shock (approximately 17, 0, 0 Re).
• Temporal resolution is standardized to 60 seconds through linear interpolation.
• Construction is documented with peer-reviewed references (Weimer et al., 2003, 2004).

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Propagation and interpolation of 1-minute processed solar wind data using a minimum variance technique, as outlined in referenced publications.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13:41:37.499826; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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