Voyager 1: Humanity’s First Light-Day Explorer

Voyager 1: A Light-Day Away
Right now, Voyager 1 is sailing 22.3 light-hours from Earth or about 24 billion km (15 billion miles) into interstellar space. It’s racing at 61,000 km/h (38,000 mph), and if it stays on course, by November 15, 2026, it will cross a breathtaking milestone: one full light-day from Earth. That’s 25.9 billion km (16 billion miles)! That's so far that even a radio signal takes a full day to reach us.

What makes this even more remarkable is that Voyager 1 launched in 1977 with computing power weaker than a modern smartwatch. Yet it continues its silent journey through the stars, carrying the Golden Record (a message of Earth’s music, sounds, and greetings) into the cosmic unknown. A true time capsule, it is humanity’s first emissary to the galaxy.

🌌 Built in the 1970s, still exploring today. Voyager 1 reminds us just how vast, and incredible, space really is.