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Voyager 2

Voyager 2 is a NASA space probe launched on August 20, 1977, to study the outer planets. It is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune, providing invaluable data on these planets and their moons. Voyager 2 is now in interstellar space, continuing to send data back to Earth.

Source: science.nasa.gov

APODs including "Voyager 2"

Closeup of an Io Volcano

04/08/1995

Closeup of an Io Volcano
Image Credit: NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

August 4, 1995 Closeup of an Io Volcano Credit: NASA, Voyager Project, Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton Explanation: In 1979, one of NASA's Voyager spacecraft made a spectacular and unexpected discovery. Io, the innermost Galilean moon of Jupiter, was covered with volcanoes and some of them were erupting! In all, Voyager 1 observed nine volcanic eruptions during its encounter with the moon. When Voyager 2 flew past four months later it was able to confirm that at least six of them were still erupting. This Voyager image of Ra Patera, a large shield volcano, shows colorful flows up to about 200 miles long emanating from the dark central volcanic vent. For more information about volcanism on Io, see Calvin J. Hamilton's Io page