NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has successfully completed its closest-ever approach to the Sun, coming within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km) of the solar surface on December 24. The spacecraft entered the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, on its mission to enhance our understanding of the Sun.
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland confirmed the spacecraft’s safety and normal operations after receiving a signal from the probe just before midnight on Thursday. Detailed data about its status will be sent back on January 1, 2024.
Traveling at speeds up to 430,000 mph (692,000 kph), the Parker Solar Probe endured extreme temperatures of up to 1,800°F (982°C). The data gathered from this close-up study will help scientists understand phenomena like the heating of solar material, the origin of the solar wind, and the acceleration of energetic particles.
Launched in 2018, the probe has been gradually moving closer to the Sun through gravitational flybys of Venus, helping it reach tighter orbits.
