Voyager 2
Voyager 2 is a robotic space probe launched by nasa on August 20, 1977, to study the outer planets. It is the only spacecraft to have visited all four giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Key Discoveries
Saturn
- First probe to provide detailed imagery of Saturn’s rings and moons.
- Discovered the hexagonal cloud pattern at Saturn’s north pole in 1981 Saturn’s Hexagonal North Pole: Mystery and Explanations.
- Identified new moons and rings, including the F ring and moons like Epimetheus and Janus.
Uranus
- First and only spacecraft to visit Uranus (1986).
- Discovered 10 new moons and 2 new rings.
- Revealed the planet’s extreme axial tilt and cold atmosphere.
Neptune
- First and only spacecraft to visit Neptune (1989).
- Discovered the Great Dark Spot and observed active weather patterns.
- Confirmed the existence of rings and discovered 6 new moons.
Current Status
- Launched into interstellar space in 1989.
- Entered the Heliopause in 2018, becoming the second human-made object to do so (after Voyager 1).
- Continues to transmit data to Earth via the Deep Space Network, though signal strength is diminishing.