Links To: Data | Browse Files | Documents | File Formats | File Naming (Data, Browse)
The Magnetometer (MAG) vector data reside in the directory DATA/MAG. The data files are in subdirectories containing data from single months; the names of these subdirectories indicate the year and month (with month number and name) of the data. On this disk, the monthly subdirectories are 98_01JAN, 98_02FEB, 98_03MAR, 98_04APR, and 98_05MAY.
The file naming convention for files in the one-month subdirectories of the DATA/MAG directory is illustrated by the following example. (The file mentioned here is only an example; there are many more such files on the disk.)
MA980116.TAB is interpreted as
MA = 'MAG data'
98 = year 1998
01 = month 01 (January)
16 = day 16 in month
TAB = 'table' format
MA980116.LBL is the name of the PDS label file which describes the data file MA980116.TAB. Such label files provide descriptive information about the data files in a format which is both human-readable and machine-readable.
This disk also contains browse plots which summarize some of the MAG data and other data.
This disk contains documentation files which describe the datasets on the disk, the instruments from which the data came, and the Lunar Prospector spacecraft and mission. These files are found in the CATALOG and DOCUMENT directories.
Of particular interest to users of MAG data are the following files.
In the CATALOG directory:
In the DOCUMENT directory:
The files on this disk are in level 1 compliance with the ISO 9660 standard. The disk contains data for 5 calendar months. The MAG data are provided as ASCII tables of 1 day duration in Selenocentric Solar Ecliptic (SSE) and Selenographic (SEL) coordinates. The naming convention for these files is described earlier in this document.
The format of the data in the MAG files is described in the PDS labels (*.LBL files) accompanying the MAG data files. These label files are both human-readable and machine-readable.
In addition to the data files, this disk contains graphical browse plots, in GIF87A format, summarizing the Magnetometer (MAG) and Electron Reflectometer (ER) data on the disk. These plots are contained in the BROWSE directory.
Each browse file contains plots of the following items for a 12-hour period: electron count rate (at various energies); electron energy spectrum; magnetic field, as magnitude |B| and direction (phi, theta); polarity; and Sun sensor data. The data are plotted against two time scales (decimal day-of-year and hour-minute) and a scale of GSE longitude.
The naming convention for browse plots is illustrated by the following example. (The file mentioned here is only an example; there are many such files on the disk.)
9801612.GIF is interpreted as
98 = year 1998
016 = day of year 016 (where Jan. 1 = day of year 001)
12 = start time 1200 (in 24-hour time; 00 minutes is implied)
GIF = file in GIF format.
Return to end of Overview section
The following links can be used to navigate the MAG data files and browse files on this disk.
General information about the data: The data are provided as ASCII ''tables'' of 1 day duration in Selenocentric Solar Ecliptic (SSE) and Selenographic (SEL) coordinates. The SSE coordinate system has its X-axis along the Moon-Sun line, positive towards the Sun. The Z-axis is parallel to the northward normal to the Earth's ecliptic plane, and Y completes the right-handed set. The SEL coordinate system used here is a Cartesian representation that places the Z-axis along the rotation axis of the Moon, positive in the direction of angular momentum. The X-axis lies in the lunar equatorial plane at 0 degrees longitude, and Y completes the right-handed set.
Links to data for: January 1998 | February 1998 | March 1998 | April 1998 | May 1998
