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Voyager 1 Beyond Solar Wind

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the merging-with-the-infinite dept.

healeyb noted that Voyager 1 has now reached a distance from the sun where it is no longer able to detect solar wind. Launched in 1977 to get up close and personal with our solar system's gas giants, scientists estimate that in another 4 years it will cross the heliosphere.

3 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. 17.5 billion kilometers by oldspewey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    17.5 billion kilometres and counting, over 3 decades spent hurtling away from from the sun, and still less than 0.05% of the way to the nearest star

    We humans are really really really small.

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
  2. An amazing achievement by Colourspace · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The fact we are still able to communicate with a piece of 33 year old technology (I'm only a few years older myself, and possibly not in as good a shape either) further away than any man made object ever launched, and are still getting useful science from it is nothing short of remarkable - matched only Spirits extended mission time so far, IMHO. And then, sometimes we can't even launch a satellite or two properly..

  3. We humans may be small by arcite · · Score: 5, Insightful

    but we think big.