The X-Ray Sensor (XRS) was part of the Space Environment Monitor (SEM) instrument suite on the GOES-8 spacecraft. XRS measured the full-disk solar soft X-ray irradiance in two channels, XRS-A and XRS-B. The commonly used science-quality wavelength bands are 0.05-0.4 nm (XRS-A) and 0.1-0.8 nm (XRS-B); historical GOES-3 through GOES-12 operational XRS-A data used a different bandpass convention (0.05-0.3 nm). These bandpass conventions should not be confused with the detector's spectral response.
The instrument used gas-filled ionization chambers, one for each X-ray channel, with spectral responses determined by the filters and detector characteristics. Unlike the GOES-R series XRS instruments, which use silicon photodiodes, the GOES-8 XRS had one detector per channel and did not provide solar flare location measurements.
XRS observations supported monitoring and characterization of solar flares. GOES-8 through GOES-15 operational XRS irradiances used historical scaling factors for continuity with earlier GOES measurements; these factors were removed from the science-quality reprocessed data. Users comparing GOES-8 measurements with other generations should account for bandpass conventions and calibration differences.
Version:2.7.2
The X-Ray Sensor (XRS) was part of the Space Environment Monitor (SEM) instrument suite on the GOES-8 spacecraft. XRS measured the full-disk solar soft X-ray irradiance in two channels, XRS-A and XRS-B. The commonly used science-quality wavelength bands are 0.05-0.4 nm (XRS-A) and 0.1-0.8 nm (XRS-B); historical GOES-3 through GOES-12 operational XRS-A data used a different bandpass convention (0.05-0.3 nm). These bandpass conventions should not be confused with the detector's spectral response.
The instrument used gas-filled ionization chambers, one for each X-ray channel, with spectral responses determined by the filters and detector characteristics. Unlike the GOES-R series XRS instruments, which use silicon photodiodes, the GOES-8 XRS had one detector per channel and did not provide solar flare location measurements.
XRS observations supported monitoring and characterization of solar flares. GOES-8 through GOES-15 operational XRS irradiances used historical scaling factors for continuity with earlier GOES measurements; these factors were removed from the science-quality reprocessed data. Users comparing GOES-8 measurements with other generations should account for bandpass conventions and calibration differences.
| Role | Person | StartDate | StopDate | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | GeneralContact | spase://SMWG/Person/NOAA.NCEI.Irradiance |
NOAA overview of the SEM suite, XRS measurements, available data, and documentation.
NOAA documentation of GOES-8 through GOES-15 XRS measurements, instrument characteristics, calibration, and science-quality data processing.
NOAA documentation of GOES-1 through GOES-15 operational XRS data, historical bandpass conventions, and scaling corrections.