{"id":76,"date":"2025-07-14T10:51:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/76\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:51:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:51:19","slug":"parker-solar-probe-takes-images-close-to-the-sun-as-primary-mission-winds-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/76\/","title":{"rendered":"Parker Solar Probe takes images close to the Sun as primary mission winds down"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On Dec. 24, 2024, NASA\u2019s Parker Solar Probe traveled closer to the Sun than any spacecraft had before. During this close approach, or perihelion, the spacecraft\u2019s four instruments observed the Sun\u2019s atmosphere from inside. This week, NASA released images collected by the spacecraft\u2019s Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) instrument.<\/p>\n

Since the close approach in late 2024, Parker Solar Probe has performed two more perihelia passes at the same distance on March 22 and June 19, the latter marking the 24th and final perihelion of the spacecraft\u2019s primary mission. Throughout its nearly seven-year mission, the probe has helped scientists better understand the Sun and its solar wind. The latest images add to a wealth of information about our star.<\/p>\n

\u201cParker Solar Probe has once again transported us into the dynamic atmosphere of our closest star,\u201d said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The images show bursts of plasma release from the Sun in so-called coronal mass ejections (CME) at the start of their journey through space. When these streams of charged particles reach Earth they drive space weather, which can potentially damage satellites, harm astronauts, or interrupt communications systems. Additionally, the particles are responsible for the auroras when they interact with the upper atmosphere after being trapped in Earth\u2019s magnetic field.<\/p>\n

(Video: CMEs observed by Parker Solar Probe\u2019s WISPR instrument during perihelion 22 in December 2024. Credit: NASA\/Johns Hopkins APL\/Naval Research Lab)<\/p>\n

\u201cIn these images, we\u2019re seeing the CMEs basically piling up on top of one another,\u201d said WISPR instrument scientist Angelos Vourlidas of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, which designed, built, and operates the spacecraft. \u201cWe\u2019re using this to figure out how the CMEs merge together, which can be important for space weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

See Also<\/p>\n

Additionally, the images show the heliospheric current sheet, which forms the boundary where the Sun\u2019s magnetic field changes direction. As this boundary interacts with the solar wind, it changes the intensity of space weather near Earth.<\/p>\n

As it took these images during its 22nd perihelion, Parker Solar Probe broke its own record for closest approach to the Sun, at 6.2 million km from the Solar surface, taking the spacecraft through the Sun\u2019s atmosphere, known as the corona. At the same time, it travelled faster than any other human-made object, at 687,000 km\/h. The subsequent 23rd and 24th perihelia repeated this close approach at the same distance and velocity.<\/p>\n

The spacecraft was launched atop a Delta IV Heavy from Cape Canaveral on Aug. 12, 2018. In 2021, Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to \u201ctouch\u201d the Sun by flying through its atmosphere. Throughout its mission, the spacecraft has flown by Venus seven times, performing gravity assist maneuvers to lower its perihelion, culminating in its current orbit after a flyby in early November 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

While breaking its own distance records, Parker Solar Probe studied the solar corona with its four instruments: the aforementioned WISPR instrument as well as the Fields Experiment (FIELDS), the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS\u2609IS), and the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) instruments. The data collected by these instruments helped scientists study different varieties of solar wind up close.<\/p>\n

In a study published in 2024<\/a>, Parker Solar Probe teamed up with the European Space Agency\u2019s (ESA) Solar Orbiter. The two spacecraft lined up to reveal that the fast class of solar wind is in part powered by so-called switchbacks, where the Sun\u2019s magnetic field zigzags. Earlier, Parker Solar Probe discovered that these switchbacks are more common than previously thought.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the spacecraft confirmed that the slow variety of solar wind exists in two kinds of its own. One type, called Alfv\u00e9nic, features small-scale switchbacks, while the non-Alfv\u00e9nic type lacks this quality. Moreover, the probe pinpointed the origin of Alfv\u00e9nic solar wind to the cool coronal holes, while the non-Alfv\u00e9nic variety comes from the large loops connecting active regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big unknown has been: how is the solar wind generated, and how does it manage to escape the Sun\u2019s immense gravitational pull?\u201d said project scientist for Parker Solar Probe Nour Rawafi of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. \u201cUnderstanding this continuous flow of particles, particularly the slow solar wind,\u00a0is a major challenge, especially given the diversity in the properties of these streams \u2014 but with Parker Solar Probe, we\u2019re closer than ever to uncovering their origins and how they evolve.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Animation showing switchbacks in the solar wind. Credit: NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center\/Conceptual Image Lab\/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez<\/p>\n

Although the probe has now completed the 24th and final perihelion of its primary mission, it will continue studying the Sun from its current orbit. It will perform its next perihelion on Sept. 15. Its fate will be decided next year, when NASA plans to formally review the mission\u2019s next steps.<\/p>\n

While the agency\u2019s science budget is in turmoil, Parker Solar Probe\u2019s future seems safe for now, as the budget requested by the current administration funds the mission with $15 million USD per year through 2030. While this is substantially lower than the amount requested for the spacecraft\u2019s extended mission in previous years, it means that Parker Solar Probe will likely continue delivering science for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

\u201cParker Solar Probe remains in excellent health, with both the spacecraft and its instruments ready to continue their groundbreaking mission,\u201d said NASA Parker Solar Probe program scientist Arik Posner after the 24th perihelion in June. \u201cThe spacecraft will keep exploring the solar atmosphere as the Sun enters the declining phase of its 11-year cycle, providing a unique opportunity to study how solar activity evolves and shapes the heliosphere during this pivotal period.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Lead image: Illustration showing Parker Solar Probe in front of the Sun. Credit: NASA\/Johns Hopkins APL\/Steve Gribben)<\/p>\n

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