The Parker solar probe, more record than ever, is closer to the sun than any other man-made object

Around 1:04 pm On October 29, at the EDT's schedule, NASA's Parker solar probe crossed the Sun's cap, beating the record for the nearest approach to our star by an object manufactured by the Sun. man, according to the space agency.

In the course of his mission, Parker repeatedly beats this record before reaching a final approach close to 3.83 million kilometers from the Sun's surface in 2024. The previous close-up record was set in April 1976 by the German-American Helios 2 satellite.

"It's been only 78 days since Parker Solar Probe was launched, and we are now closer to our star than any other spacecraft in history," said Andy Driesman, project manager of Johns Applied Physics Lab. Hopkins, in a statement. "It's a moment of pride for the team, even if we remain focused on our first solar encounter, which will start on October 31st."

This meeting will see the spacecraft flying closer and closer to the Sun until it reaches its first "perihelion" – the point of its orbit closest to the sun – around 10:28 am. HAE on November 5th.

At this point, the spacecraft will be facing extreme heat and radiation. However, it will be protected by an advanced protection shield and a cooling management system. This technology will allow Parker to make unprecedented observations on our star.

Data collected during missions such as these during Parker's seven-year mission will have several important implications. On the one hand, this will likely significantly improve our ability to predict major space weather events affecting life on Earth.

But the researchers also hope that the mission will shed light on three fundamental questions about our star that science has not yet been able to answer.

Artist concept of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun. NASA / APL Johns Hopkins / Steve Gribben

One of these riddles is why the crown – the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere, which reaches temperatures of several million degrees Fahrenheit – is hundreds of times warmer than the area. This is counterintuitive, since the energy of the star is produced in its nucleus.

The second question concerns the solar wind acceleration – the flow of charged particles that are released from the upper atmosphere.

Although scientists understand the origins of the solar wind relatively well, it is difficult to know exactly where this acceleration occurs in the outer layers of the Sun. To shed light on this, Parker will fly directly through the crown, taking direct measurements as and when.

Finally, the spacecraft could tell more about the acceleration of "solar energy particles" (SEPs), high-energy particles capable of approaching the speed of light when they are ejected from the Sun. SEPs are of interest to humanity because they can interfere with satellite electronics and pose a danger to life in space.