NASA has released new and incredibly close-up images of the Sun, marking the closest we’ve ever been able to see it. This follows a record-breaking mission from the Parker Solar Probe last year.The mission made history on December 24 when the Parker Solar Probe reached closer to the Sun’s surface than any other spacecraft ever had.
The probe came within 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s blazing surface, where it collected samples of the star’s atmosphere for the very first time.
This approach brought the spacecraft seven times nearer to the Sun than any other mission in human history. No craft has gotten this close before.During this daring flyby, the probe passed through the outer atmosphere of the Sun, known as the ‘corona’. This region can reach temperatures ranging from 1.8 million to 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 2 million degrees Celsius). From Earth, we can spot the corona as the glowing, wispy light seen during a total solar eclipse.
Zooming through space at a mind-blowing speed of 435,000 mph, the Parker Solar Probe holds the title for the fastest object ever built by humans. And it captured breathtaking, never-before-seen images of the Sun’s atmosphere during this historic pass.
These fresh images are already helping scientists better understand the role the Sun plays throughout our entire solar system, according to NASA.“Parker Solar Probe has once again transported us into the dynamic atmosphere of our closest star.” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C.
He also said: “We are witnessing where space weather threats to Earth begin, with our eyes, not just with models.”
“This new data will help us vastly improve our space weather predictions to ensure the safety of our astronauts and the protection of our technology here on Earth and throughout the solar system.”NASA’s social media posts of the Parker Solar Probe’s images quickly went viral and left people speechless.
One way to picture the footage is to imagine the movement of a puff of smoke or something squirting through water. That’s kind of how the solar material swirls and flows through space.
By carefully studying the patterns and behaviors of solar wind, scientists are hoping to uncover more about the origins and nature of the Sun itself.Still, after seeing the jaw-dropping images, a lot of people had the same big question. They were puzzled about how the Parker Solar Probe could get so close to something as dangerously hot as the Sun without being destroyed.
One viewer asked: “How are they able to capture that with so much heat.”
