New Horizons probe has reached the edge of the solar system
(ORDO NEWS) — To celebrate the occasion, New Horizons pointed the camera towards Voyager 1, the farthest spacecraft from Earth, and snapped a picture.
The New Horizons spacecraft is about to cover a path of 50 astronomical units, which is 50 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun
Fifteen years after launch from Earth, having reached a record speed and becoming the first spacecraft to fly past Pluto, New Horizons is about to cross the mark, which was visited by only four probes, but they flew in other directions.
The 50 AU mark the ship will cross on Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 3:42 am GMT. It is 7.5 billion kilometers. At this distance, signals sent from New Horizons will reach Earth in more than 6.5 hours.
The first ship to pass the 50 AU mark was the Pioneer-10 spacecraft launched in 1972. It happened on September 22, 1990. Pioneer 11 has moved away from us at a distance of 50 AU. a year later – in 1991, as it was launched a year later – in 1973. They are now at a distance of about 105 astronomical units from Earth.
Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977, followed by Voyager 2 16 days later. Voyager 1 is now 152 AU from Earth, and 127 AU to Voyager 2. The Pioneers ceased operations many years ago, but both Voyagers continue to send signals to this day.
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