Voyager 1 has left the Sun's giant protective bubble
Something humans built in 1977 is now traveling through the space between stars, nearly 25.9 billion kilometers from home.
NASA's Voyager 1 has journeyed farther than any other human-made object in history.
Launched on September 5, 1977, it originally explored Jupiter and Saturn before continuing outward into the unknown.
On August 25, 2012, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause, the boundary of the enormous bubble created by the Sun's solar wind, becoming the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space.
Now, almost five decades after leaving Earth, it's approaching another remarkable milestone.
On November 18, 2026, NASA expects Voyager 1 to reach a distance of one light-day from Earth.
That means a radio signal will take 24 hours to reach it, and another 24 hours for a reply to travel back.
Despite its age and enormous distance, the spacecraft continues collecting scientific data.
And tucked aboard is the famous Golden Record, carrying sounds, music, images, and greetings from Earth.
A tiny spacecraft, launched nearly 50 years ago, still carrying a piece of humanity into the darkness between the stars.
**Sources:** NASA; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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