Facts about Voyager 2
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Voyager 2's magnetic field instruments revealed that Uranus rotates on its side with an axis tilted 98 degrees, making it the only planet in the solar system that orbits on its side.
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Voyager 2's instruments detected Uranus's faint ring system in 1986, revealing at least 11 rings composed primarily of dark particles orbiting the tilted ice giant.
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At its closest approach to Uranus in January 1986, Voyager 2 discovered 10 new moons orbiting the ice giant, doubling the known satellite count.
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Uranus's moon Miranda, encountered by Voyager 2 in January 1986, displays the most extreme geological scarring in the solar system with cliffs reaching 20 kilometers high.
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Launched on August 20, 1977, Voyager 2 has operated continuously for over 46 years, making it humanity's longest-functioning spacecraft still transmitting scientific data.
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Voyager 2's uranium-235 radioisotope thermoelectric generator will continue producing enough electricity to power at least one instrument until approximately 2025.
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Voyager 2 transmitted data across 2.9 billion miles to Earth during its 1989 Neptune flyby, using only 23 watts of power, equivalent to a household lightbulb.
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Neptune's largest moon Triton was discovered by Voyager 2 in 1989, revealing nitrogen geysers and a surface temperature of minus 235 degrees Celsius.
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Voyager 2's Golden Record contains 115 images and greetings in 55 languages, launched in 1977 to communicate with extraterrestrial life.
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In 1986, Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to visit all four giant planets during its 12-year grand tour of the outer solar system.