VG2 URA PLS DERIVED SUMMARY ION FIT 48SEC V1.0: Voyager 2 Plasma Density at Uranus

VG2 URA PLS DERIVED SUMMARY ION FIT 48SEC V1.0 contains total ion density measurements derived from Voyager 2 Plasma Science (PLS) instrument data collected during the Uranus flyby. The data was produced by fitting measured spectra with up to three isotropic Maxwellian proton components. The dataset is a subset of VG2-U-PLS-5-RDR-IONFIT-48SEC and is described in McNutt et al. (1987) and Selesnick and McNutt (1987).

Use Cases

• Modeling the plasma environment of Uranus based on derived ion density measurements.
• Analyzing temporal variations in ion density during the Voyager 2 flyby.
• Calibrating or validating space plasma simulations using in-situ spacecraft data.
• Studying the composition and behavior of magnetospheric plasma around ice giants.

Strengths

• Data originates from the Voyager 2 spacecraft, a primary source for outer solar system exploration.
• Includes quantified uncertainty estimates, with factor of 2 uncertainty in the charging region and less than 20% elsewhere.
• References specific peer-reviewed publications (McNutt et al., 1987; Selesnick and McNutt, 1987) for methodology and instrument description.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The determination excludes possible plasma outside the PLS energy range, which may affect total density values.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from Voyager 2 Plasma Science (PLS) instrument data by fitting measured spectra with isotropic Maxwellian distributions.

Time Range

Covers the Uranus flyby period, specifically referencing a charging region from 1939-2158 on day 24.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:25:34.888668; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Spatial coverage is the vicinity of Uranus during the Voyager 2 encounter.