Peterson Planetarium show marks Voyager 1's historic milestone
Emporia, KS (10/28/2026) — Throughout November, join Emporia State University and the Peterson Planetarium in celebrating a feat once thought unimaginable in human history: a spacecraft still operating nearly half a century after leaving Earth.
"Voyager: The Never-Ending Journey," a full-dome presentation, tells the story of the twin Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977 to eventually encounter Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune before continuing onward into interstellar space.
Voyager 1 will reach another milestone Nov. 18 when it becomes the first human-made object to travel one light-day from Earth, a distance of more than 16 billion miles.
From the darkness of space, Voyager 1 continues to communicate with its home planet. A radio signal sent to the spacecraft takes about 24 hours to arrive, and its response takes about another 24 hours to reach Earth.
The Peterson Planetarium will host five showings in November. Before each, Mark Brown, director of the Peterson Planetarium, will lead a live night sky presentation that introduces attendees to the stars, constellations and planets over Emporia.
The remarkable presentation "Voyager: The Never-Ending Journey" is free and open to the public. Each attendee must individually register online at emporia.edu/planetarium to reserve their seat.
The Peterson Planetarium is closed the week of Thanksgiving.
Showtimes include:
- Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 19 at 4 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 21 at 10 a.m.
About Emporia State University
Emporia State University offers a range of academic programs through its seven schools: Applied Health Sciences, Business and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Library and Information Management and Library and Archives, Science and Mathematics and Visual and Performing Arts, along with The Teachers College.
ESU stands out for its innovative education practices. It ensures accessible education by offering in-state tuition rates to full-time undergraduate students from all lower-48 United States. Additionally, full-time undergraduates benefit from flat-rate tuition - students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours with at least one credit hour on campus pay a flat rate.
For more information on how to build your future at Emporia State University, please visit www.emporia.edu.
Emporia State University
Gwendolynne Larson, ESU director of media relations, (620) 341-5528, glarson1@emporia.eduShare this Story
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