These are the closest images of the historical flyby sun of Parker Solar Probe

NASA’s Solar Parker research made history with the closest approach to the Sun last December, and we are finally seeing some of the images he captured. He space agency He launched a period of observations made with the Parker Width Field image for the Solar Probe (WISPR) while passing through the Crown of the Sun (the outer atmosphere) on December 25, 2024, closely revealing the way the solar wind acts shortly after it is published. The probe captured these images just 3.8 million miles from the solar surface. To put that in perspective, a In the video He explains: “If the earth and the sun were separated by one foot, Parker Solar Probe was approximately half inch from the sun.”

The probe obtained an unprecedented vision of the solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CME) during the approach, which could be invaluable for our understanding of the space climate. “We are witnessing where the spatial climate threats to the Earth begin, with our eyes, not only with models,” said Nicky Fox, an associate administrator, science mission direction at NASA headquarters. After completing its December steering wheel, solar research Parker coincided with its record distance from the surface in the posterior approaches in March and June. It will make your next pass on September 15.