NEW YORK. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is set to make history as it ventures closer to the sun than any spacecraft before it, aiming to pass within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles (6 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface on Tuesday.
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe was designed to explore the sun’s mysteries up close. Since its journey began, the spacecraft has already flown through the sun’s corona—the outermost layer of its atmosphere visible during total solar eclipses. This time, it will achieve its closest approach yet, hurtling through the solar atmosphere at an unprecedented speed of 430,000 mph (690,000 kph).
“To put it in perspective, if the sun and Earth were at opposite ends of a football field, Parker would be on the 4-yard line,” said Joe Westlake, a scientist with NASA.
The probe is equipped with a state-of-the-art heat shield designed to endure temperatures as high as 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,371 degrees Celsius). Mission managers, however, won’t know if Parker successfully completes the flyby until days later, as the spacecraft will temporarily go out of communication range during its closest pass.
Unlocking Solar Secrets
The Parker Solar Probe is flying seven times closer to the sun than any previous mission, providing an unprecedented opportunity for scientists to study the solar corona and the mechanisms behind the solar wind—a stream of charged particles that constantly flows from the sun. One of the mission’s key objectives is to understand why the corona is hundreds of times hotter than the sun’s surface, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for decades.
The timing of this mission is especially significant as the sun is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, often referred to as the solar maximum. This phase has led to increased solar activity, including colorful auroras seen in unexpected regions and occasional disruptions to radio communications and power grids caused by severe solar storms.
“It both is our closest, friendliest neighbor,” Westlake explained, “but also at times is a little angry.”
The Parker Solar Probe will continue its groundbreaking work, orbiting the sun at this record-setting distance until at least September. Scientists are hopeful that its findings will provide critical insights into the sun’s behavior, which influences life on Earth in both profound and practical ways.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
