Possible nightside source dominance in nonthermal radio emissions from Uranus

Abstract

Desch and Kaiser1 have formulated a radiometric Bode's law from which they have attempted to estimate the low frequency, non-thermal radio power of Uranus' magnetosphere likely to be measured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft as a function of the planet's magnetic moment and the solar wind power input. They have in essence calculated what are possible necessary conditions for the generation of radio emission from Uranus. A potential problem arising from this calculation is that although their model for uranian radio emission may represent necessary conditions, they are not sufficient. I show here that, if Uranus possesses a magnetosphere, it is more likely that the radio emission is from the nightside as opposed to the dayside as assumed by Desch and Kaiser. A nightside source for the radio emissions would radically alter the predicted time for first observations of the emissions.