STEREO-B PLASTIC Small Transients List: Solar Wind Events

Small Transients in the solar wind are identified by five specific criteria, including durations between 0.5 and 12 hours and magnetic field strength exceeding 1.3 times the yearly average. The list is produced by NASA using data from the STEREO-B spacecraft's PLASTIC instrument. The dataset was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify solar wind transient events based on duration criteria (0.5-12 hours)
• Analyze magnetic field strength anomalies relative to yearly averages
• Study plasma conditions using proton beta and temperature thresholds
• Investigate Alfvénic fluctuations and magnetic field rotations

Strengths

• Events are defined by five explicit, quantitative criteria
• Data originates from NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft
• Last updated date is March 2026

Limitations

• 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 from the STEREO-B spacecraft's PLASTIC instrument, processed with criteria including minimum variance analysis.

Freshness

2026-03-13 04:38:10.685684