3 ms·
On some other YouTube channel, I recently saw a diagram where the width was 0.01 light-year. That’s “only” about 59 billion miles; surely we can’t be too far fr
by physicles 3y ago
On some other YouTube channel, I recently saw a diagram where the width was 0.01 light-year. That’s “only” about 59 billion miles; surely we can’t be too far from the moment we can conceive of Voyager 1’s distance in light-years.
Nope. At its current speed, we’ve got another 129 years. That’s an underestimate because the spacecraft will continue to decelerate a bit as it pulls farther away from the sun.
That’s about 60,000 years to the nearest star.
- lawlessone 3y ago>That’s about 60,000 years to the nearest star. Assuming it doesn't hit a rock or eventually fall into something. How long could it physically last with cosmic rays etc hitting it? will it eventually just an unrecognizable metal lump?
- paulddraper 3y ago> How long could it physically last with cosmic rays etc hitting it? Likely a long, long time. Neanderthal cave paintings have lasted upwards of 60,000 years.
- Natfan 3y agoSurely there's a difference between cave paintings on a planet with an atmosphere, and a spacecraft travelling void?
- paulddraper 3y agoYes, the former has many more destructive forces. So I expect Voyager to be more or less structurally similar in 60,000 years
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y agothe one they updated is apparently 18.40 light hours away. So it will be quite some time before we're talking about light years.