NASA invites citizens to send light to Voyager 1, which reaches a distance of one light-day

NASA is marking Voyager 1 reaching a distance of one light-day from Earth—roughly 25.9 billion kilometers—with a global symbolic light signal event.

The initiative invites participants to use flashlights or mobile devices to send Morse code signals spelling V-G-R toward the night sky, supported by a companion web application that automates the display.

The initiative, titled "Shine Bright for Voyager's Light-Day," is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, after sunset. People around the world are invited to point a flashlight, cell phone or other light source toward the sky and send a message in Morse code, honoring the most distant object ever made by man.

According to NASA, Voyager 1 will reach this distance on November 18, 2026, at 12:16 p.m. Eastern Time. It will then be about 16 billion miles (25,9 billion kilometers) away from our planet, having traveled nearly half a century since its launch on September 5, 1977.

How can you participate?

Participating in the action is simple and does not require any special equipment. Those interested can use a simple flashlight, a mobile phone, a bicycle light or a solar lantern to send the VGR message with flashes of light:

• V: Three short flashes and one long one (. . . -).
• G: Two long flashes and one short one (- – .).
• R: A short, a long and another short flash (. – .).

Short flashes last less than a second and long flashes last about a second. NASA suggests there be a short pause between letters and repeating the message for about a minute.

↳

READ ALSO

HACKS.GR / RELATED

Digital Life

How artificial intelligence is misleading real estate buyers with fake photos

↗

For those who prefer an easier solution, the American space agency has created a special online application that automatically reproduces the VGR flashes on the screen of a mobile phone or tablet, which users simply point towards the sky.

What does one light day distance mean?

A light-day is a unit of distance, not time. It is the distance light travels in 24 hours, or about 25,9 billion kilometers. To put that into perspective, light from the Sun takes about eight minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth. By contrast, when Voyager 1 reaches its new landmark, a radio signal will take a full 24 hours to reach the spacecraft and another 24 hours to return a response, bringing the total communication time to 48 hours.

NASA's light show is purely symbolic and does not constitute a real means of communication, as the distance is so great that terrestrial flashes cannot be detected by the spacecraft.

>Stay connected with Hacks.gr

Set us as a preferred source on Google and find us on social media.

Preferred source

↗

end of article

Read the original English article on Hacks.gr