Parker Solar Probe:
On March 22, 2025 the Parker Solar probe made another attempt to get within 6 million km of the sun, considered a very small distance to be from the star
- On March 22, 2025, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe approached the Sun more closely, reaching 6 million km from its surface.
- The probe, launched in 2018, has set the record for being the closest spacecraft to the Sun and will continue making 24 close approaches to study solar activity.
- Parker Solar Probe launched by NASA on August 12, 2018, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- Designed to study the Sun’s corona, solar wind, and magnetic field to understand space weather and its effects on Earth.
- Moves in a highly elliptical orbit, using Venus’ gravity assist to spiral gradually closer to the Sun.
- The fastest human-made object, reaching 692,000 km/hr.
- It will come as close as 83 million miles (6.16 million km) from the Sun’s surface, about 7 times closer than any previous spacecraft.
Discovery:
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- Discovery of “Magnetic Switchbacks”: The probe found sudden reversals in the solar wind’s magnetic field, which might help explain how the solar wind accelerates. Detection of Dust-Free Zones: Contrary to earlier beliefs, the probe found dust-free pockets near the Sun, altering our understanding of solar system dust distribution. First ‘Touch’ of the Sun (2021): In April 2021, the probe entered the Sun’s corona, crossing the Alfvén surface—a boundary beyond which solar wind escapes into space.
