Parker Solar Probe dives into the Sun’s corona, “touching” our star; marking a groundbreaking moment in the history of mankind.

Humanity has accomplished a remarkable feat that has never been realised ever before. We touched the Sun. Launched on 12 August, 2018, the Parker Solar Probe was sent by NASA on a mission to our star’s fiery surface to collect data on the dynamics of the solar wind and energy particles that affect the solar system.

On April 28, 2021, the spacecraft grazed the outermost layer of the Sun, known as corona, which is the halo that we see around the moon during total solar eclipses. Travelling at an elliptical pattern around the Sun, the probe inches closer to the star over 24 orbits, aiming to get as close as 6.16 million kilometres to the Sun. Finally, after more than three years, we have now just reached the corona, with the promise of closer study with more orbits to come.

Image taken by Parker Solar Probe of the view from the Sun’s atmosphere. (Source: NASA)

Being the nearest we have been to our star, there are milestone discoveries made by the Parker Solar Probe that would have not been possible before. Upon “touching” the Sun, the probe has been able to sample the corona’s particles and magnetic field from the coronal streamers (above). Researchers were able to find switchbacks (zigzag particles in the solar wind), made up of higher amounts of helium, occurring in large patches. This closer look at the Sun will allow scientists to have an increased understanding of the dynamics of our Sun’s solar physics, and the impacts of its magnetic field and solar winds on its orbiting planets.

Image taken by Parker Solar Probe of the view from the Sun’s atmosphere. (Source: NASA)

On a breathtaking note, the probe has also managed to give us a glimpse of our planet Earth, neighbouring planets, the vast Milky Way and the rest of the star-studded universe from a rare angle (above) — from the Sun’s point of view. We anticipate the next solar flyby for Parker Solar Probe in late February. With many more flybys to come, more intriguing information regarding our giant star can be expected.