at its current velocity to travel a complete light year. On November 7, 2012, Voyager 2 reached from the Sun, making it the third human-made object to reach that distance and the second that was still sending data to Earth at that distance. Voyager 1 was from the Sun, and Pioneer 10 is presumed to be at . While Pioneer has ceased communications, both the Voyager spacecraft are performing well and are still communicating. In 2013, Voyager 1 was escaping the Solar System at a speed of about per year, while Voyager 2 was escaping at per year. By February 25, 2019, Voyager 2 was at a distance of from the Sun. There is a variation in distance from Earth caused by the Earth's revolution around the Sun relative to Voyager 2. It was originally thought that Voyager 2 would enter interstellar space in early 2016, with its plasma spectrometer providing the first direct measurements of the density and temperature of the interstellar plasma. In December 2018, the Voyager project scientist, Edward C. Stone, announced that Voyager 2 reached interstellar space on November 5, 2018. In October 2020, astronomers reported a significant unexpected increase in density in the space beyond the Solar System as detected by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 space probes. According to the researchers, this implies that "the density gradient is a large-scale feature of the VLISM (very local interstellar medium) in the general direction of the heliospheric nose". Reductions in capabilities As the power from the RTG slowly reduces, various items of equipment have been turned off on the spacecraft. The first science equipment turned off on Voyager 2 was the PPS in 1991, which saved 1.2 watts. Future of the probe In 2023, Voyager 2 is expected to pass Pioneer 10 to become the second furthest spacecraft from the Sun at a distance of around 12.4 billion miles. The probe is expected to keep transmitting weak radio messages until at least the mid-2020s, more than 48 years after it was launched. Distant future Voyager 2 is not headed toward any particular star, although in roughly 42,000 years, it will have a close approach with the star Ross 248 at a distance of a few light-years. If undisturbed for 296,000 years, Voyager 2 should pass by the star Sirius at a distance of 4.3 light-years. Golden record Both Voyager space probes carry a gold-plated audio-visual