To infinity and beyond

[TimberWolf]

or at least to outside our solar system and into interstellar space, according to someone the BBC are quoting.

BBC News - Voyager near Solar System's edge

Although the prevailing view is, or was, that the solar system's boundary was beyond the Oort cloud, a cloud of comets lying a good fraction of a light year from the Sun, and Voyager is no where near that distance. Not even a significant tiny fraction of that distance. 1/500th of the distance by conservative estimates and 1/1700 by bigger ones.

Perhaps our solar system has shrunk.


Earth from Voyager 1, taken in 1990 from a distance of 40 earth-sun distances (AU)
Pale Blue Dot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Or about the distance of Pluto from the Sun.

Voyager 1, the fastest out of the two Voyagers and the second to be launched, is currently 115 AU from the Sun and is expected to be lifeless by 2025. I do hope our distant ancestors pay a visit one day, and change the batteries. Fare well Voyager.

[TimberWolf]

Has it reached the heliopause yet?

I think they are still arguing about that one.

[SupremeSpod]

I sincerely hope they know what they're doing when they () try and replace the batteries

[xoggoth]

Nothing beyond there is real. It's just a giant video screen.

[RichardCranium]

Has it reached the heliopause yet?

It should be welcomed when it gets there, since it was instrumental in confirming its existence and distance.

[doodab]

It's very cool. We (I'm speaking for all mankind here if you'll excuse my arrogance) should do more stuff like this.

[HairyArsedBloke]

It doesn't matter; everything you think is real isn't - is just a simulation in someone's lab.

[derekthedalek]

I sincerely hope they know what they're doing when they () try and replace the batteries

I'll keep a look out but I'm not going out of my way to do it.

[MarillionFan]

I saw a documentary on this.

Eventually it will harness the entire knowledge of the universe and come back as a sentient being looking to destroy the world. We'll have to send up some bald headed bird to sort it out.

[gingerjedi]

It's very cool. We (I'm speaking for all mankind here if you'll excuse my arrogance) should do more stuff like this.

There is a growing school of thought that it might not have been such a bright idea to give our location away, a bit too presumptuous.

Prepare for the harvest.