NASA Invites Public to Mark Voyager 1 One-Light-Day Milestone

NASA is inviting media and the public to join two events marking Voyager 1 reaching one light-day from Earth on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026. At that point, the spacecraft will have traveled more than 16 billion miles (25.9 billion kilometers), making it the most distant human-made object. Any light from Earth would take 24 hours to reach the spacecraft.

Public Participation

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, NASA invites the world to participate in “Shine Bright for Voyager’s Light-Day” by creating a symbolic wave of golden light encircling the planet after sunset. NASA has created a website that enables smartphones and tablets to flash “VGR”, Voyager’s call sign, in morse code. Everyone is encouraged to capture photos or videos of their light-day signal and share it on social platforms, tagging @NASA.

Moderated Discussion

On Thursday, Nov. 19 at 12 p.m. EST (9 a.m. PST), NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California will host a moderated discussion with mission members and NASA leadership about the status of Voyager 1 and 2, the unique science the twin probes continue to gather in interstellar space, and the challenges of keeping the spacecraft operating for so long over such vast distances. A Q&A with media and other audience members will follow. There will also be a preview of the upcoming NASA+ Voyager documentary, planned for release in 2027 for the mission’s 50th anniversary.

The event will take place in NASA JPL’s von Kármán Auditorium. The participants will be:

• Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, Washington
• Jonathan Lunine, chief scientist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Southern California, and professor of planetary science, Caltech
• Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager, NASA JPL
• Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager, NASA JPL
• Jamie Rankin, Voyager deputy project scientist, Princeton University

U.S. media interested in attending the event in person must RSVP by Monday, Nov. 16 to Josh Smooha at [email protected]. Foreign national media must RSVP no later than Thursday, Nov. 12. Media interested in participating virtually must RSVP no later than two hours before the event.

Mission Background

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched nearly 50 years ago in 1977 and were designed to explore the outer planets by taking advantage of a planetary alignment that occurs once every 176 years. Voyager 1 entered interstellar space in 2012. Following a different trajectory, Voyager 2 entered in 2018. Both spacecraft continue to provide unique scientific observations of the environment beyond the heliosphere, the protective bubble created by the Sun.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA JPL built and operates the Voyager spacecraft. NASA’s Deep Space Network, also managed by NASA JPL, enables communication with the distant probes. The Voyager mission is funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

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Sources

• jpl.nasa.gov: NASA Invites Media, Public to Join Voyager 1 One-Light Day Activities | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
• nasa.gov: NASA Invites Media, Public to Join Voyager 1 One-Light Day Activities - NASA

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