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john belcher
 
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The Voyager 1 and 2 current locations with respect to the heliosphere

My research interests are space plasma physics, outer planet magnetospheres, solar wind in the outer heliosphere, and astrophysical plasmas. I was Principal Investigator on the Voyager Plasma Science Experiment during the Voyager Nepture Encounter--the end of the Grand Tour. I am now a Co-Investigator on the Plasma Science Experiment onboard the Voyager Interstellar Mission.

Voyager 2 crossed the solar wind termination shock in August of 2007 (see figure below). Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause into the interstellar medium in August of 2012. The Voyager 2 crossing of the heliopause occurred in November of 2018, and for the first time the MIT instrument on board Voyager 2 measuried the properties of the local interstellar medium in situ.

Because of the decreasing power from the Voyager RTGs, the PLS instrument was turned off in October of 2024.

The Voyager 2 Shock Crossing


 

 

 

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