NASA launched twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2 in the mid-1970s from the earth. The mission of Voyager 1 and 2 was an exploration of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
After moving farther away from the Solar System boundary. They entered interstellar space. Now the student of Cornell University Stella Coch Ocker, a doctoral student in Astronomy uncovered that Voyager 1 sending continuous ‘hum’ Interstellar gas (plasma waves) from 14 miles away.
What about Interstellar Gas?
Voyager 1 entered Interstellar space or medium in August 2012, space between stars which includes gases of ionic, atomic, and molecular form. According to Cornell University, it is found that the instruments of Voyager 1 detect some signal which is slow and persistent they published it in Nature Astronomy.
Stella Coch Ocker also said that it is very disappointing to know that this signal is thin to discover more about it. But this work helps in understanding the nature of the interstellar medium and how it interacts with the Solar system wind. And how the interstellar medium modifies the protective bubble of the Solar System.
About Voyager 1
It was launched by NASA in 1977 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Initially, it was designed to study Jupiter and Saturn. It flew from Jupiter in 1979 and from Saturn in 1980. In 2012, it enters the interstellar medium. After that its new mission is to explore more about the outermost edge of the Sun’s domain. Now, it’s been 44 years for voyagers to be in space.
After entering the interstellar medium, it is found that it is quite gentle. The plasma wave system of spacecraft detected some disturbance of the gases in between the disturbance of our Solar system. But the researchers can discover steady and continuous ‘hum’ waves.
Initially, its transmission rate of transferring signal was 21 kilobytes but due to 14 miles away the transmission rate is slow. So now it transfers at the rate of 160-bits per second.
Through this discovery, we can believe that there are more low-level activities in the interstellar medium. Through Voyager 1 and 2 we can able to know more about it as both the spacecraft are now in the interstellar medium.