MAGELLAN: Solar Corona Radio Transmission and Faraday Rotation Data

Magellan spacecraft radio transmissions were observed during summer 1992 when the spacecraft came within 0.6 solar radii of the Sun's center. Data were acquired using stations of the NASA Deep Space Network to study scintillations and polarization of signals at 13 cm and 3.6 cm wavelengths. This dataset contains raw and partially processed data from those observations.

Use Cases

• Analyzing coronal material structure and motion based on signal scintillation data
• Inferring magnetic field strength within the solar corona based on polarization measurements
• Studying radio signal propagation effects through solar plasma during superior conjunction

Strengths

• Data originates from a specific NASA mission (Magellan) and the Deep Space Network
• Observations were made during a unique solar conjunction event in summer 1992
• Contains measurements at two distinct wavelengths (13 cm and 3.6 cm)

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observations of Magellan radio transmissions acquired using NASA Deep Space Network stations

Time Range

Summer 1992

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:37:11.953179; freshness should be verified

Geography

Solar corona, near Sun's center (within 0.6 solar radii)