There may be one further out than the one almost reaching Pluto, but I'm not aware of it. So how far away can they be before we stop receiving photos and other data? If they theoretically work forever, kinda makes me jealous that future generations will get to see photos of other solar systems.
Will all those probes keep sending us information no matter how far out they wander?
- Thread starter J.A.
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Dogstar n'est-ce pas
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They need power to function and nothing has an infinite power source. Deep space probes like the Voyagers (which are much further out than the New Horizons going to Pluto) go into a low-power sleep mode which uses very little power but eventually even they will just run down long, long before they reach other star systems. Taking photos and sending the data back to Earth will just make them run down quicker. Think of it like your mobile phone, even just sitting there the battery only lasts a few days but if you start taking pictures and making calls it will last a lot less and unfortunately space probes have nowhere to recharge.
That's a good question, the furthest I have seen a probe or telescope or anything like that go is right to the edge of our solar system. I saw some pictures that it took, it turned around and looked at the Earth from the edge of our solar system it was amazing! Unfortunately I dont know the name of it or what happened to it after it took those pictures of the Earth. Im going to have to ask my teacher tomorrow because thats a really good question 
5 probes are on their way out of our solar system.
Pioneer 10 & 11 both stopped transmitting signals back to earth already.
Voyager 2 already stopped transmitting.
Voyager 1 launched in 1978 is still transmitting (but not photos - there is nothing to photo there and no light anyway) It is expected to run out of power in 2025.
New horizons will reach Pluto in 2015 and then continue into the cosmos. But its battery will run flat in about 2025 also.
None of the 5 will reach the vicinity of another star system for at least 20,000 years. They will be inert pieces of space junk at that time. Besides none of them are actually going anywhere near another star. Space is very big, and very empty.
Pioneer 10 & 11 both stopped transmitting signals back to earth already.
Voyager 2 already stopped transmitting.
Voyager 1 launched in 1978 is still transmitting (but not photos - there is nothing to photo there and no light anyway) It is expected to run out of power in 2025.
New horizons will reach Pluto in 2015 and then continue into the cosmos. But its battery will run flat in about 2025 also.
None of the 5 will reach the vicinity of another star system for at least 20,000 years. They will be inert pieces of space junk at that time. Besides none of them are actually going anywhere near another star. Space is very big, and very empty.
They're not sending back photos any more. There's nothing to see, and my meagre knowledge of technology tells me that visible light photos would require more power than is available. They do send back information regarding the solar wind and where it's influence ends, and Voyager mission planners are hoping their power sources will last until they can confirm the probes have reached this point.
That's a good question, the furthest I have seen a probe or telescope or anything like that go is right to the edge of our solar system. I saw some pictures that it took, it turned around and looked at the Earth from the edge of our solar system it was amazing! Unfortunately I dont know the name of it or what happened to it after it took those pictures of the Earth. Im going to have to ask my teacher tomorrow because thats a really good question
They're not sending back photos any more. There's nothing to see, and my meagre knowledge of technology tells me that visible light photos would require more power than is available. They do send back information regarding the solar wind and where it's influence ends, and Voyager mission planners are hoping their power sources will last until they can confirm the probes have reached this point.