Voyager 1 Saturn Encounter: Solar Wind Ion Plasma Data, 96-Second Resolution

From August 19 to September 4, 1981, this dataset contains derived solar wind plasma parameters from the Voyager 1 spacecraft's Saturn encounter. It provides ion density and ion temperature measurements at an effective time resolution of 96 seconds. The data was supplied by John D. Richardson for NASA's Planetary Data System.

Use Cases

• Analyzing solar wind ion density variations near Saturn based on the derived moment parameters.
• Studying ion temperature dynamics during a planetary encounter based on the energy per charge channel data.
• Modeling plasma distribution using Maxwellian fit methods described in the parameter definitions.
• Investigating the temporal evolution of plasma parameters at a 96-second cadence.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific, scientifically significant event: the Voyager 1 Saturn encounter in 1981.
• Provides a defined temporal resolution of 96 seconds for derived plasma parameters.
• Includes detailed metadata for parameters like ion density (units: CM^-3) and ion temperature (units: EV).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Some sampling parameter characteristics (minimum, maximum, interval) are listed as unknown (UNK).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Planetary Data System

Collection Method

Derived from Voyager 1 Plasma Science (PLS) instrument measurements.

Time Range

1981-08-19T00:00:09.229Z to 1981-09 04T02:51:21.885Z

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:59:22.887091; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Space, near Saturn during the Voyager 1 encounter.