OSO8 A Detector: X-ray Lightcurves from 1975-1978

NASA HEASARC provides FITS lightcurves from the A detector of the GCXSE experiment aboard the OSO-8 satellite, which operated from June 1975 to September 1978. The A detector collected data in the 2-60 keV energy band, viewing portions of the sky perpendicular to the earth-sun line. This data originates from a non-solar objective instrument mounted on the spacecraft's rotating wheel section.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal variability of X-ray sources based on lightcurve data.
• Study celestial objects in the 2-60 keV energy band based on the detector's specified range.
• Research historical X-ray astronomy data from the OSO-8 mission period.
• Model instrument behavior for detectors mounted on a rotating spacecraft platform.

Strengths

• Data collected by a NASA satellite experiment with a defined energy band (2-60 keV).
• Covers a specific operational period from launch on 21 June 1975 to late September 1978.
• Originates from an authoritative source, NASA HEASARC.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the 1970s observation period.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) HEASARC.

Collection Method

Data obtained from the A detector part of the GCXSE experiment on the OSO-8 satellite.

Time Range

June 1975 to September 1978.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:14:26.132704; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Celestial observations from a 550 km circular orbit.