STEREO-A SWAVES: One-Minute Averages of High-Frequency Radio Receiver Data

STEREO-A satellite radio receivers measure wave intensity, source direction, and angular size across frequencies from 40 kHz to 16 MHz, corresponding to heliocentric distances from about 1 solar radius to 1 astronomical unit. The dataset includes one-minute averages from the high-frequency receiver and captures phenomena near the electron plasma frequency and wideband waveform measurements on three electric components. Data is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar radio burst propagation based on measured wave intensity and frequency range.
• Analyzing solar wind density fluctuations based on plasma frequency measurements near 1 AU.
• Studying wave polarization and directionality based on three-component electric field measurements.
• Investigating source location and size for heliospheric radio events based on angular size data.

Strengths

• Data covers a wide frequency range from 40 kHz to 16 MHz, enabling multi-scale analysis.
• Includes high time resolution measurements at 50 MHz for detailed event studies.
• Measurements are made with three mutually orthogonal 6-meter monopole antennas, providing directional information.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from the STEREO-A spacecraft's SWAVES instrument suite.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:43:12.741895; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Heliocentric distances from about 1 solar radius to 1 astronomical unit.