BackForwardInstrument:  XRT 

Instrument details
Acronym XRT
Full name X-Ray Telescope
Purpose To provide images of the high temperature plasma of the corona (0.5 to 20 MK)
Short description Two spectral ranges: X-ray (0.2-20 nm, 9 channels); and VIS (0.43 µm)
Background Part of a package of instruments for solar observation
Scanning Technique Sun pointing from a sunsynchronous dawn-dusk orbit. Corona view included
Resolution 750 km (VIS), or 1100 km (X-ray) at Sun surface
Coverage / Cycle Full Sun disk in 10 s
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency JAXA
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2007 to 2024
Last update: 2021-12-16
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Solar and space environment monitors
  • Solar activity monitor
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • X-ray spectrograph on GEO orbit
  • X-ray spectrometer at LEO
  • Subcomponent 2
  • Solar magnetograph, solar EUV/X-ray imagery and EUV/X-ray irradiance, both on the Earth-Sun line and off the Earth-Sun line
  • Solar X-ray spectrometer [from L1, GEO, LEO]
  • Solar X-ray imager [from L1, GEO, LEO]
  • Solar VIS spectrometer [from L1, GEO, LEO]
  • Solar VIS imager [from L1, GEO, LEO]
  • Solar coronagraph and heliospheric imagery both on the Earth-Sun line and off the Earth-Sun line (e.g. L5 point)
  • Solar coronographic imager [from L1, GEO, LEO]
  • Subcomponent 3
  • UV spectral imagery (e.g. GEO, HEO, MEO, LEO)
  • X-ray spectrometer [from GEO, HEO, MEO, LEO]
  • VIS spectral imager [from GEO, HEO, MEO, LEO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Solar VIS image
  • Solar X-ray image
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Solar X-ray flux1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Several channels, wide dynamic range, solar disc and corona view included
Solar X-ray image*3 - highNo specific limitation.Fluxmetry with high spatial resolution, corona view included
Solar VIS flux4 - fairNo specific limitation.Moderate dynamic range, corona view included
Solar VIS image*3 - highNo specific limitation.Fluxmetry with high spatial resolution, corona view included
Solar coronagraphic image3 - highNo specific limitation.X-rays (0.12-1200 keV)