Parker Solar Probe uncovers solar mysteries through close approaches

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is on a mission to explore the sun and its effects on the solar system. On December 24, 2024, the probe made a historic approach, coming within 6.1 million kilometers of the sun's surface, a distance no other spacecraft has achieved. The probe will make another close pass on June 19, 2025. The sun is crucial for life on Earth as it provides energy through nuclear fusion in its core. However, it also has intense magnetic fields and can produce powerful solar flares. These flares release charged particles that can cause solar storms on Earth, affecting everything from electric grids to satellites. The Parker Solar Probe, named after scientist Eugene Parker, was launched in August 2018. It speeds through space at up to 692,000 kilometers per hour. To protect it from extreme heat, the probe has an advanced heat shield that can withstand temperatures over 1,370º C. This shield allows the scientific instruments on board to operate at a comfortable 29º C. Initially, the probe's mission faced challenges due to the sun's gravity. It needed to slow down to avoid being pulled into the sun. The current approach relies on the gravitational forces of Earth and Venus to spiral closer to the sun while spending over 2,000 hours flying through the sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona. The probe is equipped with four scientific instruments to study the sun’s magnetic fields, energetic particles, and take images of the corona. During its mission, it discovered unexpected dust-free regions near the sun and revealed insights into the sun's atmospheric dynamics. One intriguing question scientists want to answer is why the sun’s surface is much cooler than its corona. Parker's data suggests the answer may be linked to Alfvén waves, which are oscillations in plasma caused by magnetic forces. On March 22, the Parker Solar Probe made another close approach to gather more data about the sun. The findings from these missions aim to deepen our understanding of solar phenomena and their impact on the solar system.