Pioneer Venus Orbiter: Hourly Averaged Magnetic Field Data, 1978-1992

Hourly averages of the interplanetary magnetic field magnitude and vector components measured by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter from 1978-12 06 through 1992-10-08. Data collection periods inside the Venusian bow shock have been removed, and averages are computed using an overlapping two-hour window to avoid aliasing. This data was supplied by the UCLA PVO magnetometer team in support of the COHO program.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind interaction with Venus based on magnetic field vector components.
• Analyzing long-term trends in interplanetary magnetic field magnitude near Venus.
• Studying the structure of the Venusian bow shock using the removed data periods.
• Comparing magnetic field data in different coordinate systems (VSO, heliographic, RTN).

Strengths

• Data spans nearly 14 years, from December 1978 to October 1992.
• Averages are computed using an overlapping two-hour window to mitigate aliasing effects.
• Data is provided in the Venus Solar Observer (VSO) coordinate system, with transformed versions available.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is stored in a BIN format, which may require specialized tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter magnetometer, processed and supplied by the UCLA PVO magnetometer team.

Time Range

1978-12-06 to 1992-10-08

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:48:08.236986; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Space, specifically the orbit of Venus and surrounding interplanetary medium.