No, Voyager 1 has absolutely not left the Milky Way galaxy.
While Voyager 1 is an incredible pioneer, venturing further from Earth than any other human-made object, it remains firmly within our home galaxy.
Understanding Voyager 1's Journey
Voyager 1's significant achievement is leaving the heliosphere, which is the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by our Sun. This boundary is often referred to as the edge of the solar system's influence.
- Left the Heliosphere: Yes, in 2012, Voyager 1 crossed into interstellar space.
- Left the Solar System (Influence): Yes, it is now in the space between stars within the Milky Way.
However, leaving the solar system's direct influence is vastly different from leaving the entire galaxy.
The Scale of the Milky Way
The Milky Way is a colossal spiral galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars, including our Sun. Our solar system is located in one of its spiral arms, called the Orion Arm.
As highlighted by Quora, leaving the solar system is "Nope. Not even close. It left the solar system, but that's only a tiny part of our galaxy the Milky Way." This perfectly encapsulates the enormous scale difference.
To put it into perspective:
| Location | Size/Distance | Voyager 1's Status |
|---|---|---|
| Solar System | Extends roughly beyond Neptune/Pluto | Left the influence |
| Heliosphere | The Sun's bubble (part of Solar System) | Left |
| Milky Way | ~100,000 light-years across | Still inside |
| Interstellar Space | Space between stars within the galaxy | Entered |
Voyager 1 is currently only a fraction of a light-year away from Earth, traveling at roughly 38,000 miles per hour (about 17 km/s). At this speed, it would take tens of thousands of years just to travel one light-year. To cross the entire Milky Way would take billions of years.
In summary, Voyager 1 has entered interstellar space, the vast region between star systems within our galaxy, but it is still very much inside the Milky Way.
