5 ms·

Voyager 1 is 0.00234 light years from Earth, Voyager 2 is 0.00194 ly. Or in more useful units: 20.5 and 17 light hours. Also we do not receive images any more

Voyager 1 is 0.00234 light years from Earth, Voyager 2 is 0.00194 ly. Or in more useful units: 20.5 and 17 light hours. Also we do not receive images any more (the cameras were made for planetary encounters and have been turned off long ago). But yes, getting data (at 160 bits per second) from man made objects that are the better part of a light day away is impressive. Even more so because they have been working for 42 years now, 30 years past the initial planetary mission.

wyldfire 7y ago
Are they powered via PV? IIRC one of them (satellite/probes) had some nuclear fuel.
- FredFS456 7y ago
  They're powered by Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge...
- Ductapemaster 7y ago
  Both Voyager 1 and 2 use RTG's (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators)[1] for power. Every year the RTG puts out less and less power, so instruments are gradually powered down to preserve the functionality of the critical ones for as long as possible. According to JPL[2] at least one scientific instrument will continue functioning until about 2025, and the crafts will remain in range of the Deep Space Network until 2036. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge... [2] https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/ https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/
  - outworlder 7y ago
    The interesting thing is that they have plenty of fuel still, but the parts are degrading.
  - sbmthakur 7y ago
    Thanks for mentioning Deep Space Network. I didn't know this is a thing and is more than 50 years old. https://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/about/ https://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/about/
    - Ductapemaster 7y ago
      If you ever have the chance to check out JPL during one of their open houses, I highly recommend it. They have an exhibit with replica models of various satellites throughout history, and in the entry way there are screens showing data about what is currently being pulled in from the DSN. When I was there, it was pulling down data from New Horizons (at some absurdly low bit rate)!
  - samus 7y ago
    Let's just hope the Deep Space Network will continue being funded. Further capsizing its budget and shutting it down would make it impossible to stay in contact with one of the greatest achievement of Mankind.
- outworlder 7y ago
  > Are they powered via PV Consider that light emitted from the Sun will decay with the square of the distance – as it is irradiated in all directions. To Voyager, the Sun looks like an ordinary star – although one much brighter than the others. Not much energy can be harvested there. Until recently, photovoltaics were useless as far away as Jupiter. Given the tech advancements, we can now use them there (and have). Farther than that and you are bumping into practical limits.
  - iamcreasy 7y ago
    > To Voyager, the Sun looks like an ordinary star – although one much brighter than the others. Not much energy can be harvested there. This blew my mind. Do you have a reference that talks more on this topic?
    - wyldfire 7y ago
      If you're talking about its apparent size in the sky -- just a guess but I think this one is relevant: [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_diameter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_diameter
    - RosanaAnaDana 7y ago
      Inverse square law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law >(...) Intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. Shit gets dimmer at the square of the distance. So if at a distance of 1 a thing has a brightness of one, at a distance of 2 it has a brightness of 1/(2^2), or 1/4. At a distance of 8, you are looking at a brightness of 1/(8^2) or 1/64th. Voyager 2 is ~122 AU distant. So the sun's apparent brightness would be 1/(122^2), or 1/14884, or 0.00067 % as bright as the sun as perceived at the earth-sun distance (ignoring the atmosphere of course).
    - brownbat 7y ago
      Not as far out as Voyager, but I enjoyed this series of depictions of the sun from each planet, which illustrates the general point: https://www.iflscience.com/space/sun-looks-like-every-planet-solar-system/ https://www.iflscience.com/space/sun-looks-like-every-planet...

wyldfire 7y ago

Are they powered via PV? IIRC one of them (satellite/probes) had some nuclear fuel.

FredFS456 7y ago
They're powered by Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge...
Ductapemaster 7y ago
Both Voyager 1 and 2 use RTG's (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators)[1] for power. Every year the RTG puts out less and less power, so instruments are gradually powered down to preserve the functionality of the critical ones for as long as possible. According to JPL[2] at least one scientific instrument will continue functioning until about 2025, and the crafts will remain in range of the Deep Space Network until 2036. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge... [2] https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/ https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/
- outworlder 7y ago
  The interesting thing is that they have plenty of fuel still, but the parts are degrading.
- sbmthakur 7y ago
  Thanks for mentioning Deep Space Network. I didn't know this is a thing and is more than 50 years old. https://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/about/ https://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/about/
  - Ductapemaster 7y ago
    If you ever have the chance to check out JPL during one of their open houses, I highly recommend it. They have an exhibit with replica models of various satellites throughout history, and in the entry way there are screens showing data about what is currently being pulled in from the DSN. When I was there, it was pulling down data from New Horizons (at some absurdly low bit rate)!
- samus 7y ago
  Let's just hope the Deep Space Network will continue being funded. Further capsizing its budget and shutting it down would make it impossible to stay in contact with one of the greatest achievement of Mankind.
outworlder 7y ago
> Are they powered via PV Consider that light emitted from the Sun will decay with the square of the distance – as it is irradiated in all directions. To Voyager, the Sun looks like an ordinary star – although one much brighter than the others. Not much energy can be harvested there. Until recently, photovoltaics were useless as far away as Jupiter. Given the tech advancements, we can now use them there (and have). Farther than that and you are bumping into practical limits.
- iamcreasy 7y ago
  > To Voyager, the Sun looks like an ordinary star – although one much brighter than the others. Not much energy can be harvested there. This blew my mind. Do you have a reference that talks more on this topic?
  - wyldfire 7y ago
    If you're talking about its apparent size in the sky -- just a guess but I think this one is relevant: [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_diameter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_diameter
  - RosanaAnaDana 7y ago
    Inverse square law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law >(...) Intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. Shit gets dimmer at the square of the distance. So if at a distance of 1 a thing has a brightness of one, at a distance of 2 it has a brightness of 1/(2^2), or 1/4. At a distance of 8, you are looking at a brightness of 1/(8^2) or 1/64th. Voyager 2 is ~122 AU distant. So the sun's apparent brightness would be 1/(122^2), or 1/14884, or 0.00067 % as bright as the sun as perceived at the earth-sun distance (ignoring the atmosphere of course).
  - brownbat 7y ago
    Not as far out as Voyager, but I enjoyed this series of depictions of the sun from each planet, which illustrates the general point: https://www.iflscience.com/space/sun-looks-like-every-planet-solar-system/ https://www.iflscience.com/space/sun-looks-like-every-planet...