Showing posts with label interstellar space. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interstellar space. Show all posts

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Voyager 1 launched 1977



Voyager 1, launched September 5, 1977, was the fist man-made object to cross into interstellar space.  It was launched 16 days after Voyager 2 and flew by Jupiter in March 1979.

It made a flyby of Saturn in November 1980, including an encounter with Titan.

NASA still receives signals from both Voyager craft, but Voyager 1 might run out of fuel by 2025.


Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Voyager 2 enters interstellar space!



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.