SDO/HMI: Solar Continuum Intensity Maps

HMI continuum data maps the intensity of the solar spectrum near the 6173 Å Fe I absorption line. The data is produced by the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory's Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument, sampling the line at six points to estimate Doppler velocity and continuum intensity. More details on the methodology are available from the Stanford JSOC.

Use Cases

• Analyze solar surface intensity variations based on continuum intensity maps.
• Estimate Doppler velocity of solar features based on the Fe I line profile analysis.
• Study solar magnetic activity proxies based on the reconstructed line depth and width.

Strengths

• Data originates from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, a major space mission.
• The methodology for deriving Doppler velocity and continuum intensity is documented in a referenced paper.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is stored in BIN and HTML formats, which may require specialized tools for analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument on the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 11:39:45.208098; freshness should be verified.