NASAs Parker Solar Probe Touches The Sun For The First Time
NASA's Parker Solar Probe had not physically "touched" the Sun, but it had embarked on a historic mission to study the Sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona, and gather valuable data about the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in August 2018, and its mission involves flying closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft.
The probe is named after Dr. Eugene Parker, an astrophysicist who proposed the existence of the solar wind in the 1950s. The primary goals of the Parker Solar Probe mission are to understand the Sun's behavior and the processes that occur in its outer atmosphere. To achieve this, the probe is equipped with instruments to measure magnetic fields, plasma waves, and other phenomena, as well as to capture images of the solar corona.
The Parker Solar Probe's closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion, takes it to within a few million miles of the Sun's surface. This allows it to endure extreme heat and radiation conditions, and it gathers data that helps scientists better understand solar wind, solar flares, and other solar phenomena.
The probe is named after Dr. Eugene Parker, an astrophysicist who proposed the existence of the solar wind in the 1950s. The primary goals of the Parker Solar Probe mission are to understand the Sun's behavior and the processes that occur in its outer atmosphere. To achieve this, the probe is equipped with instruments to measure magnetic fields, plasma waves, and other phenomena, as well as to capture images of the solar corona.
The Parker Solar Probe's closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion, takes it to within a few million miles of the Sun's surface. This allows it to endure extreme heat and radiation conditions, and it gathers data that helps scientists better understand solar wind, solar flares, and other solar phenomena.
Category
🗞
News