A Solar System Portrait
Explanation:
As the
Voyager 1 spacecraft headed out of our
Solar System,
it looked back and
took a parting family portrait of the
Sun and planets.
From beyond
Pluto,
our Solar System looks like a bright star
surrounded by faint dots. In the
above picture, the Sun is so bright
it is blocked out for contrast.
The innermost dots visible, labeled E and V for
Earth and
Venus, are particularly hard to discern.
Gas giants
Jupiter (J) and
Saturn (S) are much more noticeable.
The outermost planets visible are
Uranus (U) and
Neptune (N).
Each planet is shown labeled and
digitally enhanced in an inset image.
Voyager 1 is only one of four
human-made objects to leave our
Solar System,
the other three being
Voyager 2,
and
Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
