High-energy Electrons at Earth Orbit - Live Data

High-energy Electrons at Earth Orbit

This plot shows current (today) levels of high-energy electron radiation at Low-Earth Orbit altitudes. Click here to see average values over one year for energetic electron levels at Low-Earth Orbit.

A quick glance at the plot tells you whether the satellite radiation environment is unusually high (red/orange), average (yellow/dark blue) or unusually low (light blue/white) today. The belt indices in the upper right hand corner (click on the plot for a larger version) give the ratio of the electron flux integrated over specific regions to the 1-year average for those same regions. These indices are a quick-look at how significant the radiation environment really is right now.

The plot shows high-velocity electrons (energies > 30 keV) observed along the orbit of NOAA/TIROS at ~800 kilometers above the Earth's surface compared to the value at the same location averaged over the past year. The plot is broken up into lines because the satellite track does not cover all points above the Earth in a single day. The red box shows where the satellite was at the beginning of the day. The red triangle is its position at the end of the day's observations.

Last modified September 1, 2010 by Randy Russell.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA