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Aren't both Voyagers still gravitationally bound to our galaxy? They have escaped the sun but not milky way. In this case they will never leave our galaxy.
by ivalm 8y ago
Aren't both Voyagers still gravitationally bound to our galaxy? They have escaped the sun but not milky way. In this case they will never leave our galaxy.
- wlesieutre 8y agoGood point. A quick google gives 537 km/s as the Milky Way's escape velocity, or 1,201,000 mph. Not going fast enough for that. Moot point for Andromeda since that's coming here, but it'll never ever get to any other galaxies.
- stmfreak 8y agoVoyager’s stated velocity is relative to the solar system, which imparts its own velocity relative to the Milky Way to Voyager. Another quick google suggests Sol is swinging around the galaxy at 200 km/s so Voyager’s 17 km/s is really nothing.
- wlesieutre 8y agoAlso depends on whether Voyager's velocity is in a useful direction, it could just as easily be counterproductive. But not much difference either way.