Is Voyager 40k years from a star?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the projected timeline for Voyager 1's approach to the star AC +79 3888, which is stated to be 17.6 light years away. Participants explore the implications of Voyager's speed and the star's motion, questioning the accuracy of the 40,000-year estimate provided in an article.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant calculates that at 35,000 mph, Voyager would take approximately 319,000 years to reach the star, suggesting the article's timeline is incorrect.
  • Another participant notes that the star has a radial velocity of ~119 km/s towards the solar system, which could account for the 40,000-year figure if considered in the calculations.
  • It is mentioned that even at its closest approach, Voyager 1 will still be about 1.73 light years away from the solar system when it passes the star.
  • Some participants discuss the distance of Voyager 1 from Earth, with one referencing the Voyager odometer and questioning the interpretation of light travel time.
  • Clarifications are made regarding the round trip light time from Earth to Voyager, with corrections on the actual time being 37 hours, not minutes.
  • Additional context is provided about the distances of various celestial bodies from the sun, including the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the accuracy of the article's claims regarding Voyager's timeline and distance to the star. There is no consensus on the calculations, and multiple competing interpretations of the data are present.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of considering the star's motion and the actual distances involved, which may affect the calculations. Some assumptions about light travel time and distances are clarified but remain unresolved in terms of their implications for the overall discussion.

Rob Haskell
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Greetings! I read this article on line, where it states that Voyager 1 has an appointment with a star, AC +79 3888, which is 17.6 light years away, in 40,000 years. However, if voyager is traveling at 35,000 mph, that number seems off. Shouldn't it be 319,000 years to travel that distance?

I'm only asking because I only barely know what I'm doing here...

My calculation:

35000 mph = 328,320,000 mp/year
6T / 328,320,000 =18,274 years to travel 1 ly
18,274 * 17.5 = 319,795

http://www.space.com/22783-voyager-1-interstellar-space-star-flyby.html

PS - I'm not accounting for time traveled, since it is only about 18 light minutes.
 
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Rob Haskell said:
Greetings! I read this article on line, where it states that Voyager 1 has an appointment with a star, AC +79 3888, which is 17.6 light years away, in 40,000 years. However, if voyager is traveling at 35,000 mph, that number seems off. Shouldn't it be 319,000 years to travel that distance?

I'm only asking because I only barely know what I'm doing here...

My calculation:

35000 mph = 328,320,000 mp/year
6T / 328,320,000 =18,274 years to travel 1 ly
18,274 * 17.5 = 319,795

http://www.space.com/22783-voyager-1-interstellar-space-star-flyby.html

PS - I'm not accounting for time traveled, since it is only about 18 light minutes.

The article states that the probe will approach short of a light year to the star, further, the timeline could still be correct if the star systems is moving towards the projected path of the probe. (I haven't verified it)

The calculation needs to take account of these things.

The probe is also further than 18 light minutes, perhaps you meant hours.
 
The star mentioned has a radial velocity of ~119 km/s towards the solar system. When you factor that in, you get the 40,000 yr figure ( by the time Voyager passes it, it will only be 1.73 ly from the Solar system.
 
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It is perhaps worth pointing out that when Voyager 1 is at its closest to Gliese 445 it's still roughly half-way between the sun and this star.
 
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Janus said:
The star mentioned has a radial velocity of ~119 km/s towards the solar system. When you factor that in, you get the 40,000 yr figure ( by the time Voyager passes it, it will only be 1.73 ly from the Solar system.
Ok. That's cool. Thanks!
 
Student100 said:
The probe is also further than 18 light minutes, perhaps you meant hours.

Yes. After all, the Earth is about 8 light-minutes from the sun. :wink:
 
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So basically the article is a bit misleading by mentioning the the current distance to Gliese 445 by not mentioning that it is moving towards the solar system. Understandable, of course, as it a pop level article.
 
A couple of you mentioned the question of how far v1 is right now from earth. I got my info from the Voyager odometer:

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/

It lists light round trip time at 37 minutes. That would be 18.5 light minutes distance? Or am I misreading this?
 
Rob Haskell said:
A couple of you mentioned the question of how far v1 is right now from earth. I got my info from the Voyager odometer:

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/

It lists light round trip time at 37 minutes. That would be 18.5 light minutes distance? Or am I misreading this?
Yes you are. The round trip time is 37 hours, 13 minutes, 14 seconds. That's why there's that hh:mm:ss printed below the numbers..
 
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SteamKing said:
Yes you are. The round trip time is 37 hours, 13 minutes, 14 seconds. That's why there's that hh:mm:ss printed below the numbers..

Yikes... total brain fart there. Thanks SteamKing
 
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SteamKing said:
Here's a handy table of the time is takes light to reach each of the planets in the solar system after leaving the sun:

http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/venus/q89.html

Note Pluto is about 5.5 light hours from the sun, one-way.
Just for "completion":
Kuiper Belt ≈ 35 - 80 AU ≈ 5 - 11 Lh
Eris ≈ 68 AU ≈ 9.4 Lh
Oort Cloud ≈ 1.6 Ly
 
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