Wow. I did not know this, and I've kept up with Voyager a bit since I watched it launch as a child...

Voyager 1 has no engine running. The 38,000-mile-per-hour speed it has held since its Saturn flyby in 1980 is borrowed momentum from planets it grazed more than four decades ago, and that free ride carries it to one light-day from Earth this November

The probe is moving because it was launched onto a carefully chosen path and then reshaped by planetary gravity. Its present outward motion is mostly the inheritance of encounters that happened when the spacecraft was still young: Jupiter in 1979, Saturn in 1980, and the rare alignment of the outer planets that made the Voyager mission possible in the first place.

Have you been watching the sky?

Planets Align Tonight: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars & Moon To Appear

The waxing crescent moon, Jupiter, and Venus have been very close together the last few days and tonight lined up around sunset. Meanwhile, Mars was rising across the sky in the west. I've been keeping an eye on the sky, enjoying the show, and tonight was no exception.

The sad thing is there are many people who never bother to look up at the wonderful world above them.

Neat-o

Potentially Earth-Like Planet Has Right Temperature for Life

For the first time, astronomers have found a planet smack in the middle of the habitable zone of its sunlike star, where temperatures are good for life. “If this planet has a surface, it would have a very nice temperature of some 70° Fahrenheit [21°C],” says William Borucki of NASA’s Ames Research Center here, who is the principal investigator of NASA’s Kepler space telescope. “[It's] another milestone on the journey of discovering Earth’s twin,” adds Ames director Simon “Pete” Worden.

One last thing, then on to beddy-bye

Your Score: Venus

You scored 58% temperature (higher=warmer), 78% gravity(higher=more gravity), and 53% for the size of your planet.

From what I've gathered, you appear to prefer a planet that is hot, medium sized , and has lots of gravity. You are in luck! I have a great planet for you. It may have a little less gravity than you wanted, but your new home is Venus!

I'm going to be brutally honest with you. Venus is probably the nastiest planet out there. It's atmosphere will poison you, the heat will bake you, and the atmospheric pressure will crush you. But don't let that get you down. Venus has the ultimate Greenhouse Effect going on, and the temperature goes up to 870 F. That's even hotter than Mercury.

Looking for some good news? Well as I said before, it will always be your birthday on Venus. If you are able to survive all of Venus' fierce conditions, you'll might live to 140 Venus years old. Also you'll find that the gravity is about the same as Earth's. It's a little bit less though, so I'll give you 50-50 odds of dunking that basketball.

Venus is about the same size as Earth, so you can expect some aspects of your new life to be similar to life on Earth. There will probably be a few major governments that control your new world. Globalization will occur, and McVenus burgers will probably be available on every block. Militarily, you will become a force to be reckoned with. However be careful of neighbor Mercury, who may become even more powerful than you. Hey, it's not going to be a picnic, but enjoy your new home!

Link: The Choose your next planet Test written by harpoleers on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(harpoleers)

Nifty

Record Fifth Planet Discovered Around Distant Star

Both fit pretty well, I think

You Should Rule Venus

Venus is a mysterious, stormy planet - shrouded in a thick layer of clouds. You are perfect to rule Venus, because you are quite emotional and volatile yourself. Your emotions change as rapidly as the weather on Venus, and both you and the planet are incomprehensible to others. While you are not a logical thinker, you are quite empathetic. You can care for and understand others, but your emotions swirl too quickly to truly understand yourself.

What Planet Should You Rule?

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: Ironic by Alanis Morisette

It's like rain on your wedding day It's a free ride when you've already paid It's the good advice that you just didn't take Who would've thought ... it figures

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

A quiz before I say goodnight

You are from Neptune

You are dreamy and mystical, with a natural psychic ability.You love music, poetry, dance, and (most of all) the open sea.Your soul is filled with possibilities, and your heart overflows with compassion.You can be in a room full of friendly people and feel all alone.If you don't get carried away with one idea, your spiritual nature will see you through anything.

What Planet Are You From?