NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has set a new record, safely completing the closest-ever approach to the sun by a human-made object. On December 24, the probe flew just 6.1 million kilometers from the sun’s surface, venturing into the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona.
The spacecraft, moving at an incredible speed of up to 692,000 kilometers per hour, endured scorching temperatures reaching nearly 1,000 degrees Celsius. Despite these extreme conditions, NASA confirmed on Friday that the probe is “safe” and operating normally.
“This close-up study of the sun allows Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scientists better understand how material in this region gets heated to millions of degrees,” NASA said. “It helps trace the origin of the solar wind and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed.”
The operations team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland received a beacon signal from the probe just before midnight on Thursday. Detailed telemetry data about the spacecraft’s status is expected to arrive on January 1.
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe uses flybys of Venus to adjust its orbit, bringing it progressively closer to the sun. Its mission is to unlock the mysteries of our nearest star, improving our understanding of solar activity and its effects on Earth.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
