Voyager 2, launched in August 1977, has finally reached interstellar space, beyond the heliosphere, the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by the sun. Voyager 1 crossed into interstellar space in 2011.
Voyager 2 is now just over 11 billion miles from Earth, but still within our solar system. The Oort Cloud, a collection of small bodies under the influence of the sun's gravity, is considered the boundary of the solar system. NASA expects it will take Voyager 2 about 300 years to reach the inner edge of the Oort Cloud, and possibly 30,000 years to fly through it.
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