Voyager 1 reaches one light-day distance from Earth

The Voyager 1 spacecraft is set to reach a distance of approximately 25,902 million kilometers from Earth on November 18, marking the point where it will be one light-day away. Due to this unprecedented distance, NASA will transition from measuring the probe in kilometers to using light-travel time as a more intuitive scale.

At this distance, any command sent to the spacecraft takes one full day to arrive, with a response taking another day to return, resulting in a 48-hour communication delay. This milestone highlights the scale of the mission, as the distance is roughly 173 times the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.

To commemorate this achievement, Condeduque in Madrid is hosting an exhibition featuring a full-scale replica of the Voyager 1. The model, constructed over five years using recycled materials by the Armilla Astronomy Classroom in Granada, is one of only three such replicas in existence. The exhibition runs from November 3 to November 18, concluding with the ‘A un día luz’ science and music festival.