STEREO-B PLASTIC: Real-Time Solar Wind Ion Composition Beacon Data

PLASTIC beacon data from the STEREO-B spacecraft provides real-time estimates of plasma characteristics, including proton, alpha particle, and heavy ion composition. The data distinguishes coronal mass ejection plasma from ambient coronal plasma and is processed for operational use. This dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and has a last updated date of 2026-03-13.

Use Cases

• Real-time monitoring of solar wind conditions based on plasma characteristics
• Identifying coronal mass ejection events based on ion composition distinctions
• Analyzing heavy ion mass and charge state composition for operational diagnostics

Strengths

• Data originates from a NASA spacecraft instrument (STEREO-B PLASTIC).
• Provides key diagnostic measurements for distinguishing CME plasma.

Limitations

• Data is explicitly flagged as unvalidated and not for publication purposes.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the PLASTIC instrument on the STEREO-B spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:39:39.033928; freshness should be verified.