Jonathan Amos, a BBC Science correspondent, has published on their news website a fascinating insight into the latest Voyager milestone (side thought: given the distance Voyager has travelled, is it really valid to use the term Milestone for Voyager?).
Anyway, here is a quick extract. If you catches your attention, then click the link to read the rest on the BBC website.
Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, has reached a new milestone in its quest to leave the Solar System.
Now 17.4bn km (10.8bn miles) from home, the veteran probe has detected a distinct change in the flow of particles that surround it.
These particles, which emanate from the Sun, are no longer travelling outwards but are moving sideways.
It means Voyager must be very close to making the jump to interstellar space – the space between the stars.
Edward Stone, the Voyager project scientist, lauded the explorer and the fascinating science it continues to return 33 years after launch.
“When Voyager was launched, the space age itself was only 20 years old, so there was no basis to know that spacecraft could last so long,” he told BBC News.
“We had no idea how far we would have to travel to get outside the Solar System. We now know that in roughly five years, we should be outside for the first time.”
To read the rest of the article on the BBC website, click here.