Scientists' predictions for the long-term future of the Voyager Golden Records will blow your mind

[Admin]

The future is a slippery thing, but sometimes physics can help. And while human destiny will remain ever unknown, the fate of two of our artifacts can be calculated in staggering detail.

Scientists' predictions for the long-term future of the Voyager Golden Records will blow your mind : Read more

 

[Catastrophe]

Whilst this is a fantastic achievement, I feel constrained to remind you:

Be careful what you wish for!

Cat

 

[sam85geo]

Most likely neither we nor our solar system will be anywhere around if and when one or both of the two Voyagers gets "picked-up". If any sentient complex, intelligent beings retrieve those gold records in some informational condition, the probably seems that those record(s) would end up in a museum based on the observation "no ones' home" in our part of the Universe. It's that perky speed of light limit again. However, the Voyagers are a hope and a dream as well as a credit to mankind's hubris'. With a little bit of Luck, .... just maybe?

 

[GeoXXX]

We have 5 probes leaving the solar system, of those 5, 4 of their boosters are also escaping the solar system.
I like those odds that at least one thing this country has made will survive to witness the end of the universe whenever and however it will come.
That blows my mind!

 

[Catastrophe]

Err, pardon?

"at least one thing this country has made will survive to witness the end of the universe"

end of the Universe? Isn't that billions (literally) of years away? Are you joking?

Cat

 

[traveler]

Can you imagine being on the receiving end, picking up a message like this? What a poignant thing....

 

[Catastrophe]

I cannot imagine any human being within 10 billion years (at least) of the end of the Universe.

Cat

 

[GeoXXX]

Err, pardon?

"at least one thing this country has made will survive to witness the end of the universe"

end of the Universe? Isn't that billions (literally) of years away? Are you joking?

Cat

No, I am not. I am talking many trillions of years! Reread the article, space is vast and mostly empty and if any of those were to get ejected into intergalactic space then they really have a shot because that truly is the big empty!

 

[GeoXXX]

Can you imagine being on the receiving end, picking up a message like this? What a poignant thing....

Maybe one day we will be on the receiving end!!!

 

[traveler]

Right, to hear from a probably long dead, far off civilization, and barely be able to wonder what they were like; what their history was

 

[Catastrophe]

I know space is relatively empty, but can you seriously suggest Voyagers travelling for billions, let alone trillions, of years without hitting or being captured (gravitationally) by something?

Cat

 

[traveler]

The average density of space is reputed to be 6 protons per cubic meter.
But, someone, somewhere is likely to notice this thing and its trajectory. Just as we noticed Ouamamua

 

[Helio]

The article makes me wonder whether such outbound objects would not statistically be directed more toward the center of the MW as it encounters thousands of massive bodies still invisible to our scopes.

Then there is the chance of encounters with damaging pulsar blasts that should hurt resale value on that gold plate. Supernovae and x-ray sources aren’t helpful, if these are survived.

 

[Catastrophe]

T Post 12. Did you read / understand Post #11?

 

[Wolfshadw]

Let's keep it polite, people.

Wolfshadw
Moderator