Voyager 2 Neptune Charged Particle Flux Measurements

Electron and ion counting rate and flux data from the Low Energy Charged Particle experiment on Voyager 2 during its encounter with Neptune. The dataset includes measurements from nearly 100 instrument channels, with data collected at a 3.2-minute cadence during the far encounter phase. The data were collected by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft.

Use Cases

• Analyzing charged particle anisotropies based on the rotating instrument head and angular sector data
• Studying particle species composition based on measurements of electrons, protons, alpha particles, and nuclei
• Calibrating instrument readings based on sector 8 data covered by an aluminum sunshield
• Investigating particle flux variations over time based on the 3.2-minute step period measurements

Strengths

• Includes nearly 100 distinct measurement channels from the LECP instrument
• Provides data at a 3.2-minute cadence during the planetary encounter
• Contains measurements for multiple particle species including electrons, protons, alpha particles, and nuclei

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data conversion from 'Rate' to 'Intensity' depends on context-dependent background subtraction and mass species judgment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the Low Energy Charged Particle instrument on the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

Time Range

During the Voyager 2 Neptune far encounter.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:13:03.700482; freshness should be verified