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Voyager 1 Nears One Light-Day From Earth
10 Dec
Summary
- Voyager 1 will be one light-day away from Earth in November 2026.
- A light-day is the distance light travels in 24 hours, about 16 billion miles.
- Voyager 1 is NASA's farthest spacecraft, currently exploring interstellar space.
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is approaching a significant cosmic milestone, expected to be one light-day away from Earth in November 2026. This distance signifies that a signal traveling at the speed of light would take a full 24 hours to reach the probe. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 currently resides in interstellar space, making it the farthest human-made object from our planet.
The probe's journey began with the exploration of Jupiter and Saturn, and since its last planetary flyby in 1980, it has continued on an uninterrupted trajectory. Communicating with Voyager 1 presents unique challenges due to the immense distance, with signals taking a day to elicit a response. Despite its age and the need to power down instruments, Voyager 1 continues to gather data from beyond the heliosphere.
Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, are crucial for studying uncharted interstellar environments. The teams managing these missions are working diligently to maintain communication and ensure their longevity, aiming for a 50th anniversary in 2027. Their ongoing operation provides invaluable insights into the outer reaches of our solar system and beyond.
