GoKawiilVoyager 1 to become first human object one light-day from Earth on Nov. 18, 2026
NASA says Voyager 1, launched in 1977, will reach a distance of one light-day from Earth—about 16 billion miles—at 5:16:07 a.m. EST on Nov. 18, 2026. Its twin, Voyager 2, which took a different trajectory past Uranus and Neptune, is expected to reach the same milestone in November 2035.
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The milestone underscores how far human-made technology has traveled in under 50 years and gives a tangible benchmark for grasping interstellar scale, since light itself takes a full day to cover the gap. It also highlights the growing communication delay engineers face as both Voyager probes continue sending data from deep space on aging power systems.
- Voyager 1 will be one light-day (about 16 billion miles) from Earth on Nov. 18, 2026.
- Voyager 2 is expected to reach that same distance in November 2035 due to its different flight path.
- A light-day measures distance, not time, based on how far light travels in 24 hours.
Celestron NexStar 130SLT Telescope — Voyager 1's incredible journey to one light-day away is a great reminder of just how vast our solar system is—why not explore it yourself? The NexStar 130SLT's computerized GoTo mount can automatically locate planets, star clusters, and more, letting you trace the same cosmic neighborhood Voyager has been traversing for decades. It's a fantastic way to turn space curiosity sparked by headlines like this into hands-on stargazing.
See Celestron NexStar 130SLT Telescope on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: science.nasa.gov, 2026-10-31
Published there as: “What is a light-day? The milestone Voyager 1 is closing in on”
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