NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has traveled far from the Sun, leading to observable shifts in the positions of nearby stars as seen from its viewpoint. This significant distance allows researchers to propose that the probe can utilize these stellar movements for navigation through interstellar space. Much like maritime navigation, where ships rely on known landmarks for triangulating their position, the New Horizons spacecraft can use these stellar references to determine its path in the vastness of space.
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has ventured so far from the Sun that, in its view, nearby stars have moved substantially from their positions as seen from Earth.
Researchers have now shown that the probe could use this effect for interstellar navigation, much like ships triangulate their position at sea using landmarks such as known lighthouses.
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