# Voyager Spacecraft Now Leaving Solar System **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 11, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068 "2011-06-11T03:26:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/1 "2011-06-11T03:26:22Z")
Story [here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13715764). They’re on the edge now. Launched 34 years ago, it now takes 16 hours for a command to reach them. Data being sent back to us show “the edge of our Solar System is a froth of activity, like ‘an agitated jacuzzi’.” Farewell. See you when you return in that Star Trek movie. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/2 "2011-06-11T04:40:10Z")
Voyager I has now covered 17,412,220,000 kilometers (that’s over 10 billion miles) of ‘deep space’…and it’s still working. The idea that we can build \*anything \*that can survive such conditions is truly mind boggling. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/3 "2011-06-11T05:23:49Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > Voyager I has now covered 17,412,220,000 kilometers (that’s over 10 billion miles) of ‘deep space’…and it’s still working. The idea that we can build \*anything \*that can survive such conditions is truly mind boggling. And yet my 2010 printer just broke down again. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/4 "2011-06-11T05:44:24Z")
Don’t let the door hit ya . . . . ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/5 "2011-06-11T05:45:45Z")
It actually depends on how you define the solar system. There are some comets out there that are much more distant than Voyager is. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/6 "2011-06-12T02:17:54Z")
Could humans today detect an alien equivalent of Voyager passing through our solar system? Say between Jupiter and Mars? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/7 "2011-06-12T02:30:10Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Could humans today detect an alien equivalent of Voyager passing through our solar system? Say between Jupiter and Mars? I have only done some reading on the topic and I am not an expert but I would say no way for an equivalent sized craft. The thing that is amazing to me about Voyager is that they are able to communicate with it at all. They have to know exactly where it is (Ok, it doesn’t make any u-turns but still) and the signal is tiny. It would be closer to asking if there are intelligent beings in on Mars, could we tell if one of them turned on a light if we didn’t know exactly when and where to look. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/8 "2011-06-12T02:54:44Z")
One sixth of one percent of a Light Year. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/9 "2011-06-12T03:00:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Farewell. See you when you return in that Star Trek movie. unfortunately the nameplate will be obscured to read “VAGER” and they’ll be giggling too much to see the connection. > [@Musicat](#): > > And yet my 2010 printer just broke down again. I think Voyager cost more than $20 and six minutes to build. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/10 "2011-06-12T11:56:00Z")
Cool-Has NASA pblished any pictires of the solar system from Voyager? ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/11 "2011-06-12T12:44:20Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Cool-Has NASA pblished any pictires of the solar system from Voyager? Yes, here is the [family portrait](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Portrait_(Voyager)), taken after some encouragement from Carl Sagan. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/12 "2011-06-12T12:54:00Z")
A little more impressive than “Elvis has left the building.” ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/13 "2011-06-12T13:11:57Z")
Ah reminds me of the “postcard” we sent out, I found out it’s called the Pioneer plaque [Pioneer plaque - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_plaque) Wonder if we’ll get any replies/visitors? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/14 "2011-06-12T14:29:57Z")
If so, we’ll be long gone before anyone sees it. Like I said, one sixth of one percent of a light year. It;s like we’re crowing because it left our living room and has reached the front porch. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/15 "2011-06-12T14:39:37Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > It actually depends on how you define the solar system. There are some comets out there that are much more distant than Voyager is. Yes… whereas they’ve been outside _planetary_ orbits for some time already. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/16 "2011-06-12T15:02:23Z")
The planets we know about ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/17 "2011-06-12T15:05:04Z")
Does anyone serious think there’s any possibility that there are undiscovered planets (by present definition) orbiting Sol? ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/18 "2011-06-12T15:05:41Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > … It;s like we’re crowing because it left our living room and has reached the front porch. if by"we", you’re referring to bacteria or something appropriately smaller travelling by “foot”. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/19 "2011-06-12T15:56:47Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Wonder if we’ll get any replies/visitors? I read this as reptiles/visitors. Planning on joining the Fifth Column? ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068/20 "2011-06-12T16:12:58Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Does anyone serious think there’s any possibility that there are undiscovered planets (by present definition) orbiting Sol? There are doubtless numerous dwarf planets waiting to be discovered in the outer solar system (one estimate I’ve seen is 40 objects larger than Pluto). It’s possible the largest could be as big as Mars or Earth. This is speculation based on [Sedna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90377_Sedna)’s unusual orbit. Over the next decade or so, the [Pan-STARRS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-STARRS) and [LSST](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSST) survey telescopes should give us a much better idea of what is out there. There are some speculative theories (but scientific) that a [large planet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyche_(hypothetical_planet)), or even a [brown or red dwarf](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_(star)) might be present in the outer solar system. It wouldn’t be a huge shock to find another planet out there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-spacecraft-now-leaving-solar-system/585068.md?page=2)