A signal to Voyager 1 now takes over 23 hours to arrive—and just as long to return.
That’s nearly a full day round-trip just to whisper across the stars. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is still exploring—now the most distant human-made object in space.
In January 2027, it’s set to hit a cosmic milestone: one light-day (about 25.9 billion km) from the Sun—right in time for its 50th anniversary.
But as its power source weakens, NASA may soon begin shutting down some of its instruments to keep the mission going just a little longer.
To put it all in perspective:
Nearest star, Proxima Centauri? Still 4.24 light-years away.
At Voyager 1’s current speed, it would take ~74,000 years to get there.
50 years later, this tiny spacecraft is still writing history beyond the edge of our solar system.
That’s nearly a full day round-trip just to whisper across the stars. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is still exploring—now the most distant human-made object in space.
In January 2027, it’s set to hit a cosmic milestone: one light-day (about 25.9 billion km) from the Sun—right in time for its 50th anniversary.
But as its power source weakens, NASA may soon begin shutting down some of its instruments to keep the mission going just a little longer.
To put it all in perspective:
Nearest star, Proxima Centauri? Still 4.24 light-years away.
At Voyager 1’s current speed, it would take ~74,000 years to get there.
50 years later, this tiny spacecraft is still writing history beyond the edge of our solar system.
A signal to Voyager 1 now takes over 23 hours to arrive—and just as long to return.
That’s nearly a full day round-trip just to whisper across the stars. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is still exploring—now the most distant human-made object in space.
In January 2027, it’s set to hit a cosmic milestone: one light-day (about 25.9 billion km) from the Sun—right in time for its 50th anniversary.
But as its power source weakens, NASA may soon begin shutting down some of its instruments to keep the mission going just a little longer.
To put it all in perspective:
Nearest star, Proxima Centauri? Still 4.24 light-years away.
At Voyager 1’s current speed, it would take ~74,000 years to get there.
50 years later, this tiny spacecraft is still writing history beyond the edge of our solar system.
