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Voyager 1 to reach 1 light-day from Earth in November
Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object from Earth. It launched into space on September 5, 1977, and visited Jupiter and Saturn before heading out of the solar system. It officially crossed out of our solar system, passing the heliopause – the sphere of the sun’s influence – back in 2012. And now, NASA said on June 17, 2026, that Voyager 1 will reach 1 light-day from Earth – or the distance it takes light to travel in 24 hours – at 12:16:07 a.m. CST on November 18, 2026. That’s just before midnight Eastern Time on November 17.
This historic milestone of 1 light-day is equal to about 16.1 billion miles (25.9 billion kilometers), or 173.14 astronomical units (AU). As of right now, mid-June 2026, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is about 15.82 billion miles (25.45 billion km) away from Earth. So the spacecraft is traveling at a scorching pace: 79.96 thousand miles per hour, or 128.7 thousand km per hour.
We’ve long known this milestone would come around the middle of November, 2026. But now, NASA has performed the complex calculations and announced an official time and date. Put it in the calendar!
What about Voyager 2?
And where is Voyager 2? You might know that Voyager 2 actually launched a few weeks before its sister craft. But while Voyager 1 only visited Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 2 took a Grand Tour, visiting all the gas giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. So it’s not as far from Earth as Voyager 1.
But it’s not too far behind, relatively speaking. Voyager 2 is about 2 billion miles closer to Earth than Voyager 1. It’s also moving a bit slower, at 65.33 thousand miles per hour (105.1 thousand km/h), so it can never catch up. Besides, Voyager 1 and 2 are not headed in the same direction anyway. Voyager 1 is headed “up” out of the solar plane, while Voyager 2 is headed “down.” Voyager 1 is moving toward the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus. And Voyager 2 is headed in the direction of the constellation Andromeda.
Are the Voyager spacecraft still functioning?
Both Voyager spacecraft are still in communication with Earth, even though that process takes approximately a day for one-way messages. But most of the instruments on the Voyagers are no longer working. Over the years, NASA has turned off one system after another in order to save power. Just a couple months ago, in April 2026, NASA turned off the Low-Energy Charged Particle (LECP) instrument to save energy. This instrument was detecting electrons, ions and cosmic rays in the interstellar medium. But NASA could still turn it on at some point in the future for new measurements.
Both Voyager spacecraft carry golden records that are etched with images and sounds to represent life on Earth. The golden records were a largely symbolic gesture meant to represent Earth in the wider universe and with the off-chance that an alien civilization would one day find them and learn something of their origins. As Carl Sagan said:
The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space, but the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet.
Bottom line: NASA said on June 17, 2026, that Voyager 1 will reach 1 light-day from Earth soon. It estimates the spacecraft will reach that mark on November 18, 2026.
Read more: Why are the Voyager spacecraft getting closer to Earth now?
The post Voyager 1 to reach 1 light-day from Earth on November 18 first appeared on EarthSky.
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3FRrqp1
Science matters. Wonder matters. You matter. Join our 2026 Donation Campaign today.
Voyager 1 to reach 1 light-day from Earth in November
Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object from Earth. It launched into space on September 5, 1977, and visited Jupiter and Saturn before heading out of the solar system. It officially crossed out of our solar system, passing the heliopause – the sphere of the sun’s influence – back in 2012. And now, NASA said on June 17, 2026, that Voyager 1 will reach 1 light-day from Earth – or the distance it takes light to travel in 24 hours – at 12:16:07 a.m. CST on November 18, 2026. That’s just before midnight Eastern Time on November 17.
This historic milestone of 1 light-day is equal to about 16.1 billion miles (25.9 billion kilometers), or 173.14 astronomical units (AU). As of right now, mid-June 2026, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is about 15.82 billion miles (25.45 billion km) away from Earth. So the spacecraft is traveling at a scorching pace: 79.96 thousand miles per hour, or 128.7 thousand km per hour.
We’ve long known this milestone would come around the middle of November, 2026. But now, NASA has performed the complex calculations and announced an official time and date. Put it in the calendar!
What about Voyager 2?
And where is Voyager 2? You might know that Voyager 2 actually launched a few weeks before its sister craft. But while Voyager 1 only visited Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 2 took a Grand Tour, visiting all the gas giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. So it’s not as far from Earth as Voyager 1.
But it’s not too far behind, relatively speaking. Voyager 2 is about 2 billion miles closer to Earth than Voyager 1. It’s also moving a bit slower, at 65.33 thousand miles per hour (105.1 thousand km/h), so it can never catch up. Besides, Voyager 1 and 2 are not headed in the same direction anyway. Voyager 1 is headed “up” out of the solar plane, while Voyager 2 is headed “down.” Voyager 1 is moving toward the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus. And Voyager 2 is headed in the direction of the constellation Andromeda.
Are the Voyager spacecraft still functioning?
Both Voyager spacecraft are still in communication with Earth, even though that process takes approximately a day for one-way messages. But most of the instruments on the Voyagers are no longer working. Over the years, NASA has turned off one system after another in order to save power. Just a couple months ago, in April 2026, NASA turned off the Low-Energy Charged Particle (LECP) instrument to save energy. This instrument was detecting electrons, ions and cosmic rays in the interstellar medium. But NASA could still turn it on at some point in the future for new measurements.
Both Voyager spacecraft carry golden records that are etched with images and sounds to represent life on Earth. The golden records were a largely symbolic gesture meant to represent Earth in the wider universe and with the off-chance that an alien civilization would one day find them and learn something of their origins. As Carl Sagan said:
The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space, but the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet.
Bottom line: NASA said on June 17, 2026, that Voyager 1 will reach 1 light-day from Earth soon. It estimates the spacecraft will reach that mark on November 18, 2026.
Read more: Why are the Voyager spacecraft getting closer to Earth now?
The post Voyager 1 to reach 1 light-day from Earth on November 18 first appeared on EarthSky.
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3FRrqp1
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