Voyager 2 LECP Neptune Charged Particle Data, August 1989

From August 24 to August 27, 1989, this dataset contains resampled electron and ion counting rate data from the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) experiment on Voyager 2 during its encounter with Neptune. It includes scan plane angle distributions for periods when the instrument was mechanically scanning, with data averaged into 12.8-minute records. The data was collected by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft.

Use Cases

• Analyzing charged particle intensity distributions based on the eight directional sectors sampled during scans.
• Studying temporal variations in electron and ion fluxes based on the 12.8-minute averaged records.
• Comparing particle behavior during different instrument stepping modes (continuous, special Neptune scan, fixed periods) as described.
• Investigating the influence of Neptune's ring plane crossings on particle data based on periods when detectors were fixed in Sector 7.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific, critical 3-day period (1989-08-24 to 1989-08-27) during Voyager 2's Neptune encounter.
• Includes directional information from eight sectors, with a ninth for unknown sectors.
• Describes three distinct instrument scanning modes with a detailed schedule of mode changes.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is limited to periods when the LECP instrument was mechanically scanning; periods when it was not scanning are excluded.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) experiment on the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

Time Range

1989-08-24T00:00:00.000 SCET to 1989-08-27T00:00:00.000 SCET

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:17:31.421680; freshness should be verified.