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IN THE FAR REACHES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
• BY ANDRÉ GRANDCHAMPS
Launched in the summer of 1977 to take a closer look at the giant planets of our solar system, the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes are now continuing their mission by exploring the far reaches of the solar system, after more than 40 years of service.
Voyager 1 was the first to visit Jupiter and Saturn, astonishing us with the discovery of volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io and revealing the amazing complexity of the rings of Saturn. Its twin probe performed its own feats of exploration, visiting Uranus and Neptune for the first time. It discovered moons with a surprising range of geological diversity, as well as the fact that Neptune has an active, changing atmosphere.
After these successes, the probes continued on their journeys. At this point, Voyager 1 has travelled close to 23 billion km, while Voyager 2 is now over 19 billion km from Earth. Nevertheless, we are still receiving data from them.
PROBING INTERSTELLAR SPACE
Our Sun is constantly emitting particles into space carried by solar winds. These particles, combined with the Sun’s magnetic field, create a protective bubble around our solar system, called the heliosphere. Beyond this protective bubble, however, the solar winds are dominated by the quantities of particles from interstellar space.
Voyager 1 and 2 have now travelled beyond the limits of the heliosphere. They are therefore the first and only human-made objects to leave the boundaries of the solar system.
Our valiant explorers are now focused on measuring and studying interstellar space. It is estimated that the probes’ batteries should enable them to keep operating until 2025—a truly remarkable feat! If you’re interested in finding out more about this amazing space odyssey, then keep an eye out for the film Voyager – The NeverEnding Journey, scheduled for release in December 2021.
