Voyager 2 Plasma Wave Spectrometer Raw Waveforms, 1977-2006+

Electric field waveform samples from the Voyager 2 Plasma Wave Subsystem collected from launch in 1977 through at least 2006, covering the spacecraft's journey from Earth to beyond 100 AU. The data includes observations from cruise phases and planetary encounters at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing plasma wave spectra and dynamics based on the 40 Hz to 12 kHz bandpass filter range.
• Studying planetary bow shock crossings and magnetospheric boundaries based on the listed encounter dates.
• Investigating long-term heliospheric radio events based on the major low-frequency event onsets.
• Examining waveform structure and evolution based on the 60 ms sampling interval and 4-bit resolution.

Strengths

• Covers a vast temporal range from the 1977 launch to at least 2006, with data additions planned.
• Includes specific key event dates (e.g., bow shock crossings, AU milestones) for temporal context.
• Sampling parameters are explicitly defined: 4-bit resolution, 40 Hz-12 kHz passband, 28.8 kHz sample rate.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Voyager 2 Plasma Wave Subsystem Waveform Receiver.

Time Range

1977-08 20 to at least 2006-03-07, with ongoing additions.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:52:45.009730; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Trajectory from Earth through the solar system to beyond 100 AU, including planetary encounters.