This conceptual image shows Parker Solar Probe about to enter the solar corona. (Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ben Smith)
NASA has broken the record as its pioneering Parker solar probe made the closest-ever approach to the Sun on Christmas Eve.
December 24 saw the Parker Solar Probe go within 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s surface at ground-breaking speeds of 430,000 miles per hour, NASA says.
The spacecraft endured extreme temperatures and brutal radiation during its flight, meaning it was unable to communicate for several days.
Parker flew through the star’s weakest atmosphere known as the corona, where it can reach scorching figures of 982C – the spacecraft relies on a carbon foam shield to protect it from the extreme heat.
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The Parker Solar Probe flew within 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s surface. (Image: NASA)
Nasa said: “Following its record-breaking closest approach to the sun, Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe has transmitted a beacon tone back to Earth indicating it’s in good health and operating normally.”
A beacon tone received late on December 26 confirmed the spacecraft had made it through the encounter safely and is operating normally.
This pass, planned to be the first of more to come at this distance, allows the spacecraft to conduct unrivaled scientific measurements with the potential to change our understanding of the Sun.
Nicky Fox, who leads the Science Mission Directorate at NASA said: “Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to a star.”
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Parker has spent the last six years preparing for this moment. (Image: NASA)
She adds: “By studying the Sun up close, we can better understand its impacts throughout our solar system, including on the technology we use daily on Earth and in space, as well as learn about the workings of stars across the universe to aid in our search for habitable worlds beyond our home planet.”
The space agency did not expect to hear from the probe until December 27, meaning it was able to complete the job faster than predicted.
Parker has spent the last six years preparing for this moment as it used seven flybys of Venus to gravitationally direct it ever closer to the Sun. After launching in 2018, the probe’s last Venus flyby was on November 6 2024, where the spacecraft reached its optimal orbit.