NASA probe makes history with closest-ever approach to the Sun

Parker Solar Probe is operating usually aft passing conscionable 6.1 cardinal kilometres supra the Sun’s surface, NASA says.

The United States abstraction bureau has confirmed its Parker Solar Probe is harmless aft making the closest attack to the Sun ever recorded by a human-made object.

The probe passed conscionable 6.1 cardinal kilometres (3.8 cardinal miles) supra the Sun’s aboveground connected December 24, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said aboriginal connected Friday.

It flew into the Sun’s outer ambiance — known arsenic the corona — “at a blazing 430,000 miles per hr [692km/h] — faster than immoderate human-made entity has ever moved”, the bureau reported.

NASA said its squad had received a beacon awesome precocious connected Thursday, confirming that the probe had made its attack successfully and was operating normally.

“Flying this adjacent to the Sun is simply a historical infinitesimal successful humanity’s archetypal ngo to a star,” Nicky Fox, caput of the Science Mission Directorate astatine NASA office successful Washington, DC, said successful a statement.

Parker Solar Probe has made history.

After 7 days of silence, Parker has resumed connection with Earth, confirming it's steadfast aft soaring conscionable 3.8 cardinal miles from the star aboveground — the closest a human-made entity has ever been to a star.https://t.co/YgLBDsRlGy pic.twitter.com/UMCNq0BzhA

— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) December 27, 2024

Scientists are hoping that the probe, which was launched successful 2018, volition assistance them larn much astir Earth’s closest star.

“By studying the Sun up close, we tin amended recognize its impacts passim our star system, including connected the exertion we usage regular connected Earth and successful space, arsenic good arsenic larn astir the workings of stars crossed the beingness to assistance successful our hunt for habitable worlds beyond our location planet,” Fox said.

The trade is equipped with a shield that protects it from utmost vigor successful the Sun’s corona and tin withstand temperatures arsenic precocious arsenic 1,400 degrees Celsius (2,600 degrees Fahrenheit), NASA has explained.

With its adjacent brushwood complete, the Parker Solar Probe is expected to ellipse the Sun astatine this region done astatine slightest September.

The trade is expected to nonstop elaborate telemetry information astir its presumption connected January 1, NASA said.

Amitabha Ghosh, a NASA scientist, said experts inactive bash not cognize truthful overmuch astir the Sun contempt its monumental value for beingness connected Earth.

“If the Sun was to halt shining adjacent for a day, each beingness connected Earth would beryllium destroyed. We are truthful precise babelike connected the Sun and yet we cognize truthful precise little,” Ghosh told Al Jazeera.

He said the accusation that whitethorn beryllium gleaned from the Parker Solar Probe could reply a bid of important questions, including however the Sun heats up, however it transmits that heat, and what makes up what’s known arsenic star wind.

“These are precise important technological questions to understand,” Ghosh said.

Parker Solar Probe has phoned home!

After passing conscionable 3.8 cardinal miles from the star aboveground connected Dec. 24 — the closest star flyby successful past — we person received Parker Solar Probe’s beacon code confirming the spacecraft is safe. https://t.co/zbWT7iDVtP

— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) December 27, 2024

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies