OMNI: Near-Earth Solar Wind and Geomagnetic Activity Data, 1-Minute Resolution

NASA's OMNI dataset provides 1-minute averaged measurements of solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, time-shifted to Earth's bow shock, along with geomagnetic indices. The data is a definitive, multispacecraft composite maintained by the Space Physics Data Facility. The dataset was last updated on March 13, 2026.

Use Cases

• Correlating solar wind pressure changes with geomagnetic storm intensity based on plasma moments and activity indices.
• Modeling magnetopause location and dynamics based on time-shifted interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) data.
• Analyzing long-term trends in solar wind properties like the alpha/proton density ratio mentioned in the description.
• Forecasting geomagnetic activity for space weather applications using the combined plasma and index parameters.

Strengths

• Data is time-shifted to the nose of Earth's bow shock, providing a direct input for magnetospheric models.
• Includes definitive plasma data and an alpha/proton density ratio parameter for more accurate analysis.
• Maintained by NASA's Space Physics Data Facility (SPDF) with documentation and update services available.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Time coverage in this modified dataset is noted to be decreased by 2% to 10% compared to previous versions.
• The latest data date may lag behind other OMNI data streams, as noted in the description.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Space Physics Data Facility (SPDF)

Collection Method

Multispacecraft composite data, averaged and time-shifted.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:55:10.059213; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Heliospheric, near-Earth space.