Recorded1989-08-25datespace

Voyager 2 passes Neptune and Triton, ending the planetary programme

Voyager 2 passed close over Neptune's northern hemisphere and was bent south towards Triton, the encounter's real objective. Neptune showed a large dark storm and extremely fast winds; Triton showed a young surface at about 38 kelvin with dark plumes streaking downwind. Twelve years and four planets after launch, the planetary phase of the programme ended here, and everything since has been measurement of the medium rather than of an object.

Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.

Subjects

Voyager 2 · mission · Interstellar space, on a southward trajectory out of the ecliptic plane · not located
Neptune · celestial body · not located
Triton · celestial body · not located

Evidence

Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent. This is the standing of the weakest source, not an average.

Voyager 2 at Neptune: Imaging Science Results
The Voyager 2 imaging results for the Neptune system, including the dark storm system in Neptune's atmosphere and Triton's sparsely cratered surface, plumes and surface temperature of about 38 K. V55 verification basis: NOT CHECKED IN THIS RUN; volume and title are given from standard citation practice and require confirmation.
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) · 1989 · Partly verified
Smith, B. A. et al., Science 246 (1989)
NASA Voyager mission science pages — planetary encounter summaries
The encounter dates and principal findings at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, including the Jovian ring, the resolved ring structure at Saturn, the tilted and offset Uranian magnetic field and the newly found moons at both ice giants. V55 verification basis: THE PAGES WERE NOT REACHED — science.nasa.gov is blocked by this session's egress proxy and the search budget was exhausted. Everything attributed here is standard mission record from general knowledge; a curator must confirm each encounter date and each count of newly discovered moons against NASA's own pages.
NASA Science / Jet Propulsion Laboratory · access attempted 2026-08 · Partly verified
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/ — mission science and planetary encounter pages

Recorded on Voyager 2

1972The full Grand Tour is cancelled and rebuilt as a two-spacecraft mission
1977-08-20Voyager 2 launches
1979-07-09Voyager 2 closest approach to Jupiter
1981-08-25Voyager 2 passes Saturn and continues towards Uranus
1986-01-24Voyager 2 reaches Uranus — the only close encounter ever made
1989-08-25Voyager 2 passes Neptune and Triton, ending the planetary programme
2007-08-30Voyager 2 crosses the termination shock at about 84 AU
2018-11-05Voyager 2 crosses the heliopause at 119 AU
2025-03-24Voyager 2's low-energy charged particle instrument is switched off
2026-07-09The "Big Bang" power manoeuvre on Voyager 2

Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.

The "Big Bang" power manoeuvre on Voyager 2 · 2026-07-09
Voyager 2's low-energy charged particle instrument is switched off · 2025-03-24
Voyager 2 crosses the heliopause at 119 AU · 2018-11-05
Voyager 2 crosses the termination shock at about 84 AU · 2007-08-30
Voyager 2 reaches Uranus — the only close encounter ever made · 1986-01-24
Voyager 2 passes Saturn and continues towards Uranus · 1981-08-25
Voyager 2 closest approach to Jupiter · 1979-07-09
Voyager 2 launches · 1977-08-20