2013 年9月12日,NASA确认,“旅行者1号”探测器已经离开太阳系。NASA的发言人表示:“旅行者者已经到到了从来没有探测器到达过的空间,这是人类的 科学发展史上的里程碑。”一系列相关资料证明了旅行者号已经脱离了包裹着太阳系的由炙热而活跃的粒子组成的太阳圈顶层,进入了寒冷黑暗的恒星际空间。历经 36年的旅行,离地球約187亿公里,终于成为第一个离开太阳系的人造物体。
这些是它发回来的照片。
1. A close up of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, a storm that has been raging in the gas giant's atmosphere for at least three hundred years. The white spot shows another cloud system that is believed to have formed around 1940. Jupiter's atmosphere is made up of 90% hydrogen and almost 10% helium, together with traces of other gases, including methane and ammonia. Immensely strong winds occur, and the storm clouds exhibit colors which are thought to be due to chemical reactions in the atmosphere
2. Jupiter's tenuous rings are visible only up close. They do not show any structure similar to the rings of Saturn or Uranus. The rings are made up of dust and rock fragments.
3. The Earth and Moon, taken on Sept. 18, 1977, by Voyager 1 when it was 7.25 million miles (11.66 million km) from Earth. Voyager 1 was directly above Mt. Everest (on the night side of the planet at 25 degrees north latitude) when the picture was taken.
4. Jupiter and two of its satellites (Io, left, and Europa) on Feb. 13, 1979. Io is about 350,000 km (220,000 mi.) above Jupiter's Great Red Spot; Europa is about 600,000 km (375,000 mi.) above Jupiter's clouds.
5. Io, Jupiter's innermost large moon, taken by Voyager 1 on the morning of March 5, 1979.
6. An image of Jupiter's moon Callisto showing a large impact basin, 2,600 km (1,600 mi.) across, on the moon's surface. Known as Valhalla, this is the largest impact crater yet discovered in the Solar System.
7. Layers of haze covering Saturn's satellite Titan, taken by Voyager 1 on Nov. 12, 1980 at a range of 22,000 km (13,700 mi.)
8. Saturn, taken by Voyager 1 in November 1980. After reconnoitering the Saturnian system, Voyager 1 swung up and away above the plane of the solar system. Voyager 2 continued on to barnstorm Uranus and Neptune as well.
9. Volcanoes erupting on the rim Io, which were likely active for at least four months. The gravitational flexing caused by Jupiter itself and Io's sister moons generate the heat that leads to volcanoes.