NASA’s Voyager 1 to Reach One Light-Day from Earth on November 18
NASA's Voyager 1 will reach one light-day from Earth on November 18, becoming the farthest human-made object ever.
CALIFORNIA, Nov 12: NASA’s Voyager 1 will become the first human-made object to travel one light-day from Earth, hitting this milestone on November 18 at 05:16:07 EST. This distance, about 16.09 billion miles or 25.9 billion kilometers, means it takes 24 hours for light from Earth to reach the spacecraft.
Since surpassing Pioneer 10 in 1998, Voyager 1 has held the title of the most distant man-made object. This achievement aligns with the mission’s 50th anniversary next year and comes 14 years after Voyager 1 entered interstellar space.
To celebrate, NASA has organized “Shine Bright for Voyager’s Light-Day,” encouraging participants to flash the spacecraft’s call sign, “VGR,” in Morse code after sunset on November 17. A NASA website allows users to convert their smartphones or flashlights into Morse code devices.
Launched in 1977, NASA’s Voyager program was designed to explore the outer planets. Voyager 1 travels at about 38,000 mph, aided by gravity assists from Jupiter and Saturn during its flybys in 1979 and 1980.
Though Voyager 1’s cameras stopped working long ago, the public can still engage with the mission through events like this. NASA noted that the Morse code campaign is a shared moment for humanity, highlighting the probe’s lasting legacy.
The spacecraft operates on three radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which are slowly losing power. Currently, it has about 215 watts available, down from 470 watts at launch, with most power going to essential functions, as eight of its ten scientific instruments have been turned off to conserve energy.
The last science instrument is expected to stop functioning in the 2030s, with communication to Earth likely ending around 2036. Voyager 2, launched earlier but moving slower, is not expected to reach the one-light-day mark for another nine years.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will host a discussion on November 19 regarding the operational status of both Voyager probes and their scientific contributions.