TIMAX: X-Ray Balloon Telescope Data from Brazil

20 minutes of data from a 1993 balloon-borne X-ray telescope experiment. The data was collected by the TIMAX telescope using 35 NaI detectors covering an energy range of 30-100 keV, with observations located over South America. It is stored in 64 kbyte binary files containing digitized spectra from each detector.

Use Cases

• Analyzing X-ray background variations based on geographic coordinates over South America.
• Developing or testing image reconstruction algorithms based on the coded mask technique described.
• Studying spectral data from the 30-100 keV energy range captured by the NaI detectors.
• Calibrating models for balloon-borne astronomical instrumentation based on the experimental setup.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 20-minute observational period.
• Uses 35 detectors with a total area of approximately 280 sq. cm.
• Provides spectral data analyzed in 32 channels per detector.
• Imaging observations have an angular resolution of approximately 2 degrees.

Limitations

• Last updated 1993-06 09 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

INPE (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais), Brazil, via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Data obtained by the TIMAX imaging telescope flown on a balloon.

Time Range

1993 (specific 20-minute observation period).

Freshness

Last updated 1993-06-09 23:59:59.999000.

Geography

South America (balloon flight path).