<p>Into the great unknown, into the wild blue yonder, past the second star on the right and straight on till morning: That's where NASA's <a href="http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/" title="">Voyager 1</a> is heading. The remarkable spacecraft was launched 33 years ago, and it's now reaching the edge of our solar system. Within a few years, <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/voyager20101213.html" title="">NASA says</a>, it will enter interstellar space. <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/12/13/the-wind-is-no-longer-at-voyagers-back/" title="">Phil Plait reports</a> on how researchers realized they'd reached a milestone in Voyager 1's journey: </p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><p>Over all those years, there has been one constant in the Voyager flight: the solar wind blowing past it. This stream of subatomic particles leaves the Sun at hundreds of kilometers per second, much faster than Voyager. But now, after 33 years, that has changed: at 17 <em>billion</em> kilometers (10.6 billion miles) from the Sun, the spacecraft has reached the point where the solar wind has slowed to a stop. Literally, the wind is no longer at Voyager’s back.</p><p> Read the rest of his post at <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/12/13/the-wind-is-no-longer-at-voyagers-back/" title="">Bad Astronomy</a></p><div data-embedid="4b651d8f-ea11-445f-9ea7-e776ca36eef3" id="insticator-embed-temp"></div><p>. Related Content: 80beats: <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/10/01/the-edge-of-the-solar-system-is-a-weird-and-erratic-place/" title="">The Edge of the Solar System Is a Weird and Erratic Place</a></p><p> 80beats: <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/12/29/near-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-voyager-2-finds-magnetic-fluff/" title="">Near the Edge of the Solar System, Voyager 2 Finds Magnetic Fluff</a></p><p> 80beats: <a href="/the-sciences/nasa-spacecraft-will-soon-map-the-solar-systems-distant-edge" title="">NASA Spacecraft Will Soon Map the Solar System’s Distant Edge</a></p><p> 80beats: <a href="/the-sciences/voyager-2-hits-the-edge-of-the-solar-systemand-writes-home" title="">Voyager 2 Hits the Edge of the Solar System—and Writes Home</a></p>

voyager-1.jpg

Discover the latest on Voyager 1's journey, as it approaches interstellar space after 33 years of exploration beyond the solar system.

The Sciences

Voyager Spacecraft Prepares to Exit the Solar System 

Article

News

Eliza Strickland

Science

Into the great unknown, into the wild blue yonder, past the second star on the right and straight on till morning: That's where NASA's Voyager 1 is heading. The remarkable spacecraft was launched 33 years ago, and it's now reaching the edge of our solar system. Within a few years, NASA says, it will enter interstellar space. Phil Plait reports on how researchers realized they'd reached a milestone in Voyager 1's journey: Over all those years, there has been one constant in the Voyager flight: the solar wind blowing past it. This stream of subatomic particles leaves the Sun at hundreds of kilometers per second, much faster than Voyager. But now, after 33 years, that has changed: at 17 billion kilometers (10.6 billion miles) from the Sun, the spacecraft has reached the point where the solar wind has slowed to a stop. Literally, the wind is no longer at Voyager’s back. Read the rest of his post at Bad Astronomy . Related Content: 80beats: The Edge of the Solar System Is a Weird and Erratic Place 80beats: Near the Edge of the Solar System, Voyager 2 Finds Magnetic Fluff 80beats: NASA Spacecraft Will Soon Map the Solar System’s Distant Edge 80beats: Voyager 2 Hits the Edge of the Solar System—and Writes Home

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