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An image of Voyager flying through interstellar space. They have been traveling in deep space by exchanging communication with the antenna dish towards the Earth for 45 years. (Source: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager) |
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What would the Voyager spacecraft look like, the first human creation to leave the solar system and travel through interstellar space? An image imagining Voyager’s current appearance was released on September 9 in NASA’s ‘Astrophotography of the Day’ (APOD), attracting attention.
Voyager 1 and 2 went into space 45 years ago, in 1977, respectively, to explore exoplanets.
Voyager 2 was first launched on August 20 in line with the alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which return once every 176 years, in orbits passing all four planets in close proximity.
Voyager 1, which departed on September 5, a full moon later than that, was launched into orbit passing Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 1’s mission was modified in the middle, and it had to pass through Saturn’s moon Titan, which caused its flight orbit to deviate from the ecliptic plane, and the exploration of Pluto had to be abandoned.
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A family photo of the Solar System taken by Voyager 1 on February 14, 1990 from Neptune orbit. From right to left, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Sun, Venus, Earth, and Jupiter were captured. (Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech) |
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However, thanks to this, Voyager 1 was able to take a ‘solar family photo’ while looking down at the planets in the solar system in the orbit of Neptune, which is 6 billion km from Earth. The most famous of these is the ‘Pale Blue Dot’, which depicts the image of the Earth.
Currently, the two probes are the longest-running and furthest spacecraft. Both have traveled beyond the heliosphere and beyond the heliosphere, an area defined by the influence of the solar magnetic field.
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Voyager 1 cruising concept. It takes Voyager 17,500 years to travel 1 light-year. Proxima Centauri, the second closest star to the Sun, is regarding 4.2 light-years away. / photo = NASA |
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Voyager 1, in its 45th year of its journey to the stars, is regarding 24 billion kilometers from the Sun, 157 times the Earth-Sun distance, and 22 hours of light. Voyager 2 is a little closer, but still 19.4 billion kilometers away, 121 times the Earth-Sun distance. This is equivalent to 18 light hours (the distance 18 hours away from light). Both probes remain the only spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.
Each spacecraft has a 30cm-long golden record affixed to the body of the ship, with sounds, pictures, and messages recorded. The copper-plated disk is made of a material that will not be damaged by long interstellar travel, and is intended to tell the story of life and culture on Earth to extraterrestrial intelligence.
Kwangsik Lee Science Columnist [email protected]
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