Overview

The Voyager Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) consists of two cameras, narrow- angle and wide-angle. Images have been archived in chronological volumes based on Voyager’s Flight Data System (“FDS”) clock which is also the basis for the root filenames of the images.

The ISS Tabs

The tabs associated with this page describe the ISS data files and how to obtain them.

  • Instrument - Access to descriptive information about the Voyager cameras.
  • Processed Images - Information on and access to new data sets currently being produced by the Ring-Moon Systems Node containing uncompressed, processed versions of the Voyager images.
  • Raw Images - Information on and access to all of the originally submitted Voyager compressed raw images.
  • Derived Products - Provides direct access to:
    • All of the Voyager images of the Jovian rings.
    • a set of derived radial profiles from the finest-resolution Voyager images of Saturn’s rings. Profiles of both the lit and dark sides are included at a resolution of order 5 km.

Data Set Information

New Data Sets of Processed Images

The PDS Ring-Moon Systems Node is producing new multivolume Voyager ISS data sets, one data set for each of the giant planets. Each data set contains sets of images and data tables for each of the original images. These include versions of each image at several stages in the image processing pipeline: uncompressed raw, cleaned, calibrated, and geometrically corrected.

The volume IDs are:

  • VGISS_5nnn: Jupiter encounter observations, where the first digit after the five is 1 for Voyager 1 and 2 for Voyager 2.
  • VGISS_6nnn: Saturn encounter observations, where the first digit after the six is 1 for Voyager 1 and 2 for Voyager 2.
  • VGISS_72nn: Voyager 2, Uranus encounter observations.
  • VGISS_82nn: Voyager 2, Neptune encounter observations.

Obtain more information about, and access to, these volumes through the Processed Images Tab.

Original Data Set of Compressed Raw Images

The PDS originally released raw, compressed “EDR” versions of all the Voyager images on a set of CD-ROMs identified VG_0001 through VG_0038. These volumes can accessed through the Raw Images Tab. The organization is as follows:

  • VG_0001-0003: The complete Uranus images
  • VG_0004-0005: Selected Saturn images
  • VG_0006-0008: Selected Jupiter images
  • VG_0009-0012: The complete Neptune images
  • VG_0013-0025: The complete Jupiter images
  • VG_0026-0038: The complete Saturn images

If you are unfamiliar with scientific image formats, consider taking Emily Lakdawalla’s free on-line course, Basics of Digital Imaging.

General Image Naming Conventions

  • For Jupiter, images beginning with 1 are from Voyager 1 and those beginning with 2 are from Voyager 2
  • For Saturn, images beginning with 3 are from Voyager 1 and those beginning with 4 are from Voyager 2.

Image Galleries

The Ring-Moon Systems Node maintains a collection of the most popular press release images. Visit Jupiter, Saturn (Voyager 1 or Voyager 2), Uranus or Neptune.

You can also find press release images at the Planetary Photojournal of the PDS Imaging Node.