- Thursday, 24 October 2024
Planetary Radio Astronomy (PRA)
NSSDCA ID: 1977-076A-10
Description
This experiment consisted of a sweep-frequency radio receiver operating in both polarization states, between 20 kHz and 40.5 MHz. The signal was received by a pair of orthogonal 10-m monopole antennas. The physics of magnetospheric plasma resonances and of nonthermal radio emissions from these planetary regions was studied by investigation of the radio emission signals from Jupiter and Saturn over this range of frequencies, and similar studies will be done at Uranus and Neptune.
Alternate Names
- Voyager2/PRA
- urn:nasa:pds:context:instrument:vg2.pra
Facts in Brief
Mass: 7.7 kg Power (avg): 5.5 W Bit rate (avg): 0.266 kbps
Funding Agency
- NASA-Office of Space Science (United States)
Disciplines
- Planetary Science: Fields and Particles
- Astronomy: Radio
Additional Information
- Data collections from this experiment
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II Personnel
Selected references.
- Warwick, J. W., et al. , Planetary radio astronomy experiment for Voyager missions, Space Sci. Rev. , 21, No. 3, 309-327, doi:10.1007/BF00211544, Dec. 1977.
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Observer's Corner
23 April 2024 was a busy day for solar emission. Dave Typinski at AJ4CO Observatory, Florida, USA recorded this spectrogram using an FSX spectrograph fed by two 24 foot long TFD (Terminated Folded Dipole) antennas arranged similar to a Radio JOVE dual dipole array.
We see here some Solar Type III bursts at 1735 UTC, followed by a radio blackout from an M2.9 Class X-ray flare peaking at 1745 UTC, followed by a Type II radio burst from 1750 to 1815 UTC, followed by a couple of Type III bursts at 1825 and 1843 UTC.
Voyager 2 Detects Intense Radio Emissions
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has detected intense radio emissions from Neptune, indicating that the planet has magnetic field.
The discovery, made by Voyager 2's planetary radio astronomy instrument team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., greatly increases the likelihood that the spacecraft will discover wide range of interesting phenomena related to magnetic field, such as aurora and possible radiation-darkened ring arcs and moons around Neptune.
Voyager 2 will come within 4,850 kilometers (3,000 miles) of Neptune at 9 p.m. on Aug. 24.
The emissions are generated around planets by high-velocity, charged particles as they spiral along magnetic field lines into the planet's atmosphere.
At Neptune, "the radio emissions are very intense, very impulsive, and occur in limited range of frequency," said Dr. James Warwick, principal investigator on the planetary radio astronomy experiment. The emissions, he added, are polarized, "so we know we're dealing with magnetic field. The source is not lightning; it is related to energetic particles interacting in magnetic field."
A planetary magnetic field is girdle of magnetic field lines that surround planet. Such fields are thought to be generated by fluid motion in planet's core (molten iron in Earth's core, for example). Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have magnetic fields, while Venus and Mars do not. Whether Pluto has one or not is not known.
While the Neptunian radio emissions were only confirmed today, Warwick said that in looking back over Voyager data, the emissions were heard by the planetary radio astronomy instrument as early as Aug. 14. The emissions weren't immediately recognized as being associated with Neptune, however, because their character "was so different from what we were expecting," Warwick said.
As more data from the instrument is returned to Earth over coming days, Warwick's team will be able to precisely define Neptune's rotation -- the length of its day.
Early analysis indicates that Neptune's magnetic field is of an intensity similar to the magnetic fields of Earth and Uranus.
Voyager 2's close flyby over Neptune's northern hemisphere will allow the spacecraft's complement of instruments to determine Neptune's magnetic field structure and orientation.
The Voyager Mission is conducted for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Planetary radio astronomy experiment for Voyager missions
- Published: December 1977
- Volume 21 , pages 309–327, ( 1977 )
Cite this article
- J. W. Warwick 1 ,
- J. B. Pearce 1 ,
- R. G. Peltzer 1 &
- A. C. Riddle 1
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The planetary radio astronomy experiment will measure radio spectra of planetary emissions in the range 1.2 kHz to 40.5 MHz. These emissions result from wave-particle-plasma interactions in the magnetospheres and ionospheres of the planets. At Jupiter, they are strongly modulated by the Galilean satellite Io.
As the spacecraft leave the Earth's vicinity, we will observe terrestrial kilometric radiation, and for the first time, determine its polarization (RH and LH power separately). At the giant planets, the source of radio emission at low frequencies is not understood, but will be defined through comparison of the radio emission data with other particles and fields experiments aboard Voyager, as well as with optical data. Since, for Jupiter, as for the Earth, the radio data quite probably relate to particle precipitation, and to magnetic field strength and orientation in the polar ionosphere, we hope to be able to elucidate some characteristics of Jupiter auroras.
Together with the plasma wave experiment, and possibly several optical experiments, our data can demonstrate the existence of lightning on the giant planets and on the satellite Titan, should it exist. Finally, the Voyager missions occur near maximum of the sunspot cycle. Solar outburst types can be identified through the radio measurements; when the spacecraft are on the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth we can identify solar flare-related events otherwise invisible on the Earth.
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Department of Astro-Geophysics, University of Colorado, 80309, Boulder, CO, USA
J. W. Warwick, J. B. Pearce, R. G. Peltzer & A. C. Riddle
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Warwick, J.W., Pearce, J.B., Peltzer, R.G. et al. Planetary radio astronomy experiment for Voyager missions. Space Sci Rev 21 , 309–327 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00211544
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Received : 24 May 1977
Issue Date : December 1977
DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00211544
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The Planetary Radio Astronomy and Plasma Wave Subsystem and the Planetary Radio Astronomy experiment share the two long antennas which stretch at right-angles to one another, forming a "V". The PRA receiver covers two frequency bands, from 20.4 kHz to 1300 kHz and from 2.3 MHz to 40.5 MHz.
Study of the radio-emission signals from Jupiter and Saturn over this range of frequencies yielded data concerning the physics of magnetospheric plasma resonances and nonthermal radio emissions from these planetary regions.
The physics of magnetospheric plasma resonances and of nonthermal radio emissions from these planetary regions was studied by investigation of the radio emission signals from Jupiter and Saturn over this range of frequencies, and similar studies will be done at Uranus and Neptune.
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The objective of this experiment is to observe short-wave radio emissions from the giant planets. Only one is known at present to produce these emissions, although that single case is extraordifiary. Jupiter was pre-dicted to be a radio source by Velikovsky (Worlds in Collision, Doubleday, New York) in 1950.
NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft has detected intense radio emissions from Neptune, indicating that the planet has magnetic field. The discovery, made by Voyager 2’s planetary radio astronomy instrument team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., greatly increases the likelihood that the spacecraft will discover wide range of ...
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The planetary radio astronomy experiment will measure radio spectra of planetary emissions in the range 1.2 kHz to 40.5 MHz. These emissions result from wave-particle-plasma interactions in the magnetospheres and ionospheres of the planets.