back to article Voyager 1 now 20 BEEEELLION KMs from the Sun

It's an entirely arbitrary milestone, but Voyager 1 is now more than 20 billion kilometres from our Sun. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory maintains a cosmic odometer recording the progress of both Voyager spacecraft. Voyager 1 progresses at about eight kilometres a second and 700,000 or so clicks a day. The spacecraft has a date …

  1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

    a date with planet AC +79 3888

    It will just miss it by 1.6 ly.

    Clearly a school days date.

    1. HelpfulJohn
      Coat

      "a date with *STAR* AC +79 3888"

      Yes, I know it was El Reg's original error but I don't know how to reply to them. Or, if I do, I'm too knackered to remember.

      Is a date with a star ... (oh, gods is he really going there?) ... a *Stardate*?

  2. DwarfPants

    not much interest and not much change

    Yesterday:

    dark & cold, not much to see

    Today:

    dark & cold not much to see

    Tomorrow:

    dark & cold not much to see

    Eventually:

    something new to see

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: not much interest and not much change

      not much interest and not much change

      Whilst undoubtedly true, I'm surprised that it took ANY resource to provide the data to the web, in which case why stop publishing it if the probe still transmits it. Haven't NASA heard of automation?

      1. Brewster's Angle Grinder Silver badge

        Re: not much interest and not much change

        "Haven't NASA heard of automation?"

        They're probably FORTRAN programmers.

  3. Fraggle850

    > "Surely not even the most ardent of conspiracists would surely not imagine that NASA fabricates that much data?"

    Ignoring the suspicious double-negative, they don't need to: the advanced alien civilisation that has captured the probe is faking the data to keep us in the dark while they assemble their invasion fleet.

    1. Elmer Phud

      'while they assemble their invasion fleet.'

      Again

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. magickmark
      Thumb Up

      'while they assemble their invasion fleet.'

      Only to be eaten by small but hungry dog on arrival, due to a terrible miscalculation in scale!

    3. Mystic Megabyte
      Alien

      l33t

      Thargoids?

      1. Tharglet
        Alien

        Re: l33t

        You rang?

      2. DropBear

        Re: l33t

        "Thargoids?"

        Worse. Vanduul...

    4. Tom 13

      Re: keep us in the dark while they assemble their invasion fleet.

      That's okay. We have it on good authority that Fido's got this one.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So that's, what, around 0.7 Light days?

  5. Anonymous Blowhard

    Accident Report, Planet AC +79 3888, around AD42000:

    Collision with unidentified vehicle transiting the system; craft appears to have no registration or insurance, but does feature mural of naked primates. Damage estimated at 0.00023 Ningi.

    1. HelpfulJohn

      "Planet AC +79 3888"

      A-Hem!

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_445

      There may well be planets going *around* her but she's a star.

  6. CAPS LOCK

    Blimey, and I thought it was a long way to...

    ... the chemist. Oh Douglas, how you are missed...

  7. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    Should be featured in the "Runtime" section...

  8. CCCP
    Alien

    If there ever was a perfect name for a spacecraft

    Although, on second thought, if Hawkin is right, Galactic Signpost might be more appropriate.

    "The food is in that direction" ----------------->

    1. Yer Mother You Will

      Re: If there ever was a perfect name for a spacecraft

      "Aah! Alan. Don't go inside that spacecraft. It's a Cook Book!"

  9. Hans 1

    Obligatory Video

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M

    How I miss Carl!

  10. TeeCee Gold badge
    WTF?

    ....700,000 or so clicks a day.

    Did you mean klicks and fall foul of a spoil chicken in autofuckup mode?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Far, far away

    Probably found by aliens by now and they're sending back fake data!

  12. Wzrd1 Silver badge

    Let's just hope that plutonium

    Being sent isn't an insult on AC +79 3888. ;)

    Then again, any insult would be highly diluted by the time they get there. Half-life is 87.7 years. That'd be about ambient temperature by then.

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