Yes, 3.8 million miles may seem far from ‘touching’, but relative to the size and reach of our sun; it’s spot on.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (Parker) is on track to make this approach on Christmas Eve, sending never-before-seen solar data straight to scientist’s stockings.
While astrophysicists will have visions of flare data and chemical makeup dancing in their heads, Parker will be zipping around at 430,000mph— or speed needed to get from Grand Rapids and Detroit in 1 second— making it the fastest man-made object in history.
The craft has been made to withstand temps over 1,000,000°F, while keeping the probe’s instruments a cool 85°F.
It’s happening during the period of solar maximum — the phase of highest activity for our Sun—allowing us to exponentially broaden our knowledge of our star.
Need more NASA Sun Science in your life? Check them out on social media and follow Parker’s fly-by online, or by tuning into NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast Sun Series.
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