Unraveling the Mystery of the Pioneer Anomaly at 20 Astronomical Units

NASA's Pioneer 10 and 11 probes experienced unexplained acceleration toward the Sun at around 20 astronomical units, challenging Newton's gravitational inverse-square law. Some physicists proposed new physics to explain the anomaly, but later analysis revealed that the acceleration was due to the recoil force from anisotropic thermal radiation emission off the spacecraft. This discovery provided a more likely explanation, highlighting the importance of thorough data analysis in space exploration.