Voyager 2 LECP: Uranus Far Encounter Charged Particle Data

Voyager 2's Low Energy Charged Particle instrument captured electron and ion counting rates near Uranus. The dataset includes nearly 100 calibrated channels measuring particles above 13 keV for electrons and 24 keV for ions, with data collected at 6.4-minute intervals during the encounter. NASA produced this dataset, which was last updated on March 13, 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing charged particle anisotropies based on the rotating head and eight angular sectors described.
• Studying particle species composition based on the description of electrons, protons, alpha particles, and light, medium, and heavy nuclei.
• Converting raw rate data to physical intensities based on the documented background subtraction and geometric factor procedures.
• Examining temporal variations in particle fluxes based on the 6.4-minute measurement intervals during the encounter.

Strengths

• Includes nearly 100 distinct LECP channels for detailed particle analysis.
• Data is globally calibrated, and background correction methods using Sector 8 are documented.
• Provides energy thresholds: electrons >13 keV and ions >24 keV.
• Time resolution is specified as 6.4-minute rate and flux measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The conversion from 'Rate' to 'Intensity' depends on uncertain determinations of mass species and background levels.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) instrument on the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its Uranus encounter.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:11:15.126261; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Vicinity of Uranus.