Total Solar Irradiance Six-Hour Averages From SORCE Mission

Version 019 is the final version of this data product, containing total solar irradiance (solar constant) measurements averaged at 6-hour intervals, normalized to one astronomical unit. The data was collected by the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) instrument on the SORCE satellite, designed for high precision and long-term accuracy. The product is updated monthly and was last updated on the platform in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling Earth's climate and atmospheric energy budget by analyzing changes in total solar irradiance over time.
• Studying solar activity cycles and variability using the 6-hour averaged irradiance data points.
• Calibrating other satellite instruments by using the TIM's high-accuracy measurements as a reference standard.
• Investigating the relationship between solar output and space weather phenomena affecting Earth's magnetosphere.

Strengths

• High instrument precision, with a designed absolute accuracy of 100 parts per million and a long-term relative accuracy of 10 ppm per year.
• Data is normalized to one astronomical unit (1 AU), enabling direct comparison and standard use in models.
• Represents a final, authoritative version (V019) that supersedes all previous iterations.
• Available across multiple major data platforms, indicating its established use and validation in the scientific community.

Limitations

• The exact number of rows, file size, and specific column names are not provided by the available sources.
• There is a conflict in reported 'last updated' dates between platforms (2026 vs. 2020), creating uncertainty about the most recent metadata synchronization.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on one platform and 'None' on another, requiring user verification.

Provenance

Source

Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) instrument on the SORCE satellite.

Collection Method

Measured using an ambient temperature active cavity radiometer, covering the full wavelength spectrum, with data averaged to 6-hour intervals.

Time Range

Covers the entire SORCE mission lifetime; specific start and end dates are not provided in the sources.

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:19:59.849585

Geography

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