Polar HYDRA: 14-Second Plasma Moments from the Polar Spacecraft

13.8-second resolution survey electron and proton moments for density, bulk velocity, and temperature from the POLAR Hot Plasma Analyzer (HYDRA). The data was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026. Moments are calculated for particles at 0-20keV and averaged over specific pitch-angle ranges relative to the magnetic field.

Use Cases

• Modeling magnetospheric plasma behavior based on 13.8-second resolution density and velocity moments.
• Analyzing plasma temperature anisotropy based on parallel and perpendicular temperature components.
• Validating higher-level data products by comparing with the survey moments provided.
• Studying pitch-angle distributions using data averaged over 0-30, 75-105, and 150-180 degree ranges.

Strengths

• Data is provided at a high 13.8-second temporal resolution.
• Includes specific physical parameters: density, bulk velocity (GSM), and parallel/perpendicular temperature.
• Covers a defined energy range of 0-20keV for electrons and protons.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description notes higher quality data products may be available from the Principal Investigator.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Polar Spacecraft, POLAR Hot Plasma Analyzer (HYDRA) instrument.

Collection Method

Collected by the 3-Dimensional Electron and Ion Hot Plasma Instrument (HYDRA) on the Polar spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:39:33.085943; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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