The amazing and cool photo thread

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R1600Turbo
Question is, how far out does it need to travel before we lose communication? Or has that day already passed?

I don't think that it's down to communication, I think it's more to do with the power source of the probe. Lots of instruments have been shut down on the craft to prolong the life of the poor thing.
It really is fascinating stuff. It's amazing to see how far the two Voyager probes have ventured.
 
The first time I saw that pic was around a year ago when searching Wikipedia. :) Really amazing stuff - its so sobering once you realise how small and insignificant we really are (although we might want to think otherwise).

The first chapter of Carl Sagan's book of the same name as the picture further puts our place in the universe into perspective. I have only read the first chapter of Pale Blue Dot, but it is only my shelf to be read.

Here is a spoken part of the first chapter:

 
Question is, how far out does it need to travel before we lose communication? Or has that day already passed?

Voyager 1 is roughly 120 AU from the Sun (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance) whilst Voyager 2 is about 100 AU. They're both still very much operational and are sending back information about the solar wind as they are currently in the interstellar medium. Voyager 1 will probably reach the Heliopause (where the Sun's solar wind is stopped by that of other star) within the next few years. After that will hit the bow shock, which is the boundary of the Sun magnetic field, after which is will officially be in interstellar space. It will lose power completely between 2025 and 2030. That photo was taken 1991 from about 40 AU. It photographed every planet except Mercury and Mars.
 
PeterJB
Voyager 1 is roughly 120 AU from the Sun (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance) whilst Voyager 2 is about 100 AU. They're both still very much operational and are sending back information about the solar wind as they are currently in the interstellar medium. Voyager 1 will probably reach the Heliopause (where the Sun's solar wind is stopped by that of other star) within the next few years. After that will hit the bow shock, which is the boundary of the Sun magnetic field, after which is will officially be in interstellar space. It will lose power completely between 2025 and 2030. That photo was taken 1991 from about 40 AU. It photographed every planet except Mercury and Mars.

Amazing achievement.

I recommend anyone interested to reads out the Voyager Golden Records:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record

Some poor, confused blob of green slime on some planet somewhere will probably be reading it a few million years from now. :lol:
 
Voyager 1 is roughly 120 AU from the Sun (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance) whilst Voyager 2 is about 100 AU. They're both still very much operational and are sending back information about the solar wind as they are currently in the interstellar medium. Voyager 1 will probably reach the Heliopause (where the Sun's solar wind is stopped by that of other star) within the next few years. After that will hit the bow shock, which is the boundary of the Sun magnetic field, after which is will officially be in interstellar space. It will lose power completely between 2025 and 2030. That photo was taken 1991 from about 40 AU. It photographed every planet except Mercury and Mars.

Have I ever told you I love you? :sly:
 
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Apologies if this is a repost, it most likely is.This mill is Sorrento, Italy, was abandoned in 1866:

abandonedmillfrom1866so.jpg
 
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