NASA's Voyager spacecraft nears exit of solar system

Agence France-Presse ^ | 12/14/10 | Staff

[Nachum]

Washington - NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has reached the outer edge of the solar system where wind from the Sun is no longer blowing outward, but sideways, the US space agency said. The spacecraft was launched in 1977 and has since snapped images of Earth and other planets in the solar system and provided NASA with crucial information as it makes its long journey into outer space. NASA researchers think Voyager 1 will leave the solar system and enter interstellar space, or the area in between the end of the Sun's influence and the next star system, in about four

[Captain Beyond]

space ping

[Texas Fossil]

Voyager 1 bravely going where no machine has gone before. And phoning home the details.

[Bishop_Malachi]

This article reminds me of the movie Star Trek I. Even though I didn’t like the movie, it thought it was a cool concept...Voyager returning to meet the “creator”.

[muir_redwoods]

Fascination to note that in 33 years of travel, Voyager has moved 16 light hours. The next nearest star is 4 light years away or about 2000 times farther.

[cripplecreek]

I guess it all depends on what you want to call the edge of the solar system. I believe our solar system is a bit more than a light year from one edge to the other in its entirety.

[Flag_This]

Goodbye, V’ger. Don’t come back.

[cripplecreek]

From Wiki

Much of our Solar System is still unknown. The Sun's gravitational field is estimated to dominate the gravitational forces of surrounding stars out to about two light years (125,000 AU). Lower estimates for the radius of the Oort cloud, by contrast, do not place it farther than 50,000 AU.[89] Despite discoveries such as Sedna, the region between the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud, an area tens of thousands of AU in radius, is still virtually unmapped.



Voyager hasn't even left the front porch.

[GeronL]

66,000 years??

[no-to-illegals]

That is an excellent point. I will guess this length (void) is to help in the balance. Your point means an expansion of space to a point of balance to stability avoiding chaos. Your though was concise, mine too lengthy.

[Logic n' Reason]

I believe it is at this “interface” that the spacecraft’s official name changes from “Voyager” to “Vger” (pronounced “Vee-jer”!

[muir_redwoods]

Actually, at it’s current speed (33,000 mph) a one-way trip to the nearest star would take Voyager about 80 thousand years

[cripplecreek]

I believe the new Horizons craft is faster. Its due at pluto in about 5 more years.

[JRandomFreeper]

So long, farewell, aufvieterzein, goodnight.....

Write, now.

Laterkbye.

/johnny

[MarkL]

V-Ger!

[mommab2003]

And my dryer breaks down after 4 years...

[JRandomFreeper]

It is sorta big, ain't it?

And it's lost in the galactic haystack. Makes me grateful to get back home everyday.

/johnny

[cripplecreek]

I wish I could find a map that showed were the voyager craft are in relation to that one. I don’t believe they’re much beyond the nearest orbit of Sedna.

[theDentist]

VGer, we’ve made reservations for you with the restaurant at the end of the universe. 8 pm. be prompt!

[MarkL]

Voyager hasn't even left the front porch.

Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.

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