Space

November’s Night Sky Notes: Light-Day Away

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 30/10/2026, 10:50:25 UTC.

Briefings

NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft completed a Grand Tour of the solar system using gravity assists between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The twin probes continue to return valuable science data from the far reaches of our solar system. As of November 2026, Voyager 1 is 16.1 billion miles from the Sun, marking a significant milestone in its 49-year journey. The spacecraft carry the Golden Record, a 12-inch phonograph record with greetings in 55 languages, protected by copper, gold, and uranium-238 plating.

Key points

• Voyager 1 and 2 used gravity assists between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune to perform a Grand Tour of the solar system.
• As of November 2026, Voyager 1 is 16.1 billion miles from the Sun, crossing the one-light-day mark.

Context

The Voyager mission utilized a once-every-175-year planetary alignment of the four largest planets to send the twin spacecraft on a grand tour. This mission continues to provide valuable science data from the far reaches of our solar system, with probes tracking each other via the Deep Space Network.

Limitations

The article provides specific distances and dates but lacks data on the full extent of science returned, the specific scientific discoveries made during the 1977 launch, or the current operational status of the Golden Record's playback capabilities.

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