Voyager 2 PLS: Derived Ion Parameters from Neptune's Magnetosheath and Solar Wind

Derived ion density, temperature, and velocity values from the Voyager 2 Plasma Science instrument during its Neptune encounter. Data are obtained by fitting observed energy spectra with Maxwellian plasma distributions, with separate methodologies for the solar wind, magnetosheath, and magnetosphere. The dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling plasma flow in Neptune's magnetosheath based on derived vector velocities and densities.
• Analyzing ion composition (H+ and N+) in the outer magnetosphere based on the separation of current peaks in energy.
• Studying solar wind properties upstream of Neptune based on fitted proton parameters from high-energy-resolution data.
• Investigating signal-to-noise challenges in plasma measurements near the magnetopause based on the description of low signal in M-long data.

Strengths

• Data provider indicates a preferred composition model (N+) for magnetospheric fits.
• Fit values in the magnetosphere are provided with one-sigma errors.
• Both moment and fit values are given for velocity, density, and thermal speed in the outbound magnetosheath and solar wind.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• The description notes the spacecraft potential (approx. -10 V) is unaccounted for, affecting density and velocity values.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data derived from fitting spectra from the Voyager 2 Plasma Science instrument using non-linear least squares routines and Maxwellian plasma distributions.

Time Range

During the Voyager 2 Neptune encounter.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:58:36.432823; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Space region around Neptune, including upstream solar wind, magnetosheath, and magnetosphere.