Moon, Antares, and Jupiter
 The Moon swings past the brilliant planet Jupiter and the bright star Antares. They are in the southwest at nightfall, and set in late evening. [Tim Jones]
The first target for Voyager 2 -- and for its twin, Voyager 1, which was launched a few weeks later -- was Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter's in good view tonight. It looks like a brilliant star, and scoots low across the southwest during the evening hours. It's to the upper left of the Moon, with the star Antares below it. More about Antares tomorrow.
The Voyagers were conducting a "grand tour" of the outer solar system. After stunning encounters with Jupiter, both continued on to Saturn. And Voyager 2 continued to Uranus and Neptune. No other craft has visited these giant worlds before or since.
The missions probed the atmospheres of all four planets. They studied their rings and moons, and mapped their magnetic fields and radiation belts. Scientists are still examining their findings to develop better understandings of the giant planets, and the evolution of the solar system.
But the work of the Voyagers isn't done yet. Both are still operating, billions of miles from Earth. They're studying the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space. And they're expected to continue their voyages of discovery for many more years.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2007
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