NASA invites global participation to mark Voyager 1 light-day milestone
The spacecraft will be more than 16 billion miles from Earth on Wednesday, November 18.
Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object from Earth, is expected to reach a milestone of one light-day away from our planet on Wednesday, November 18, according to reports from Business Today and Mint. At this distance of more than 16 billion miles (25.9 billion kilometres), light sent from Earth will take approximately 24 hours to reach the spacecraft.
To celebrate the achievement, NASA has launched the 'Shine Bright for Voyager' campaign. On the evening of Tuesday, November 17, the agency is encouraging people to shine lights toward the sky. Participants can use flashlights, lanterns, or a smartphone tool to flash the Morse code for V-G-R, which is the call sign for Voyager.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will also host a moderated discussion on Thursday, November 19, at 12 pm EST. The event will feature scientists and mission officials discussing the status of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, as well as the challenges of operating probes at such vast distances.
The discussion will include a question-and-answer session and a preview of a Voyager documentary planned for a 2027 release. Launched in 1977, the spacecraft entered interstellar space in 2012, while its twin, Voyager 2, entered the same region in 2018.
Both probes continue to provide scientific data from the area outside the Sun's magnetic and particle shield. Voyager 1 maintains communication with mission controllers through the Deep Space Network managed by JPL.