On December 24, a NASA spacecraft set a new record by approaching closer to the sun than any other spacecraft has done before.
The Parker Solar Probe achieved this milestone by flying within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the sun, enduring the intense heat of the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona.
The close flyby took place at 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT), marking the 22nd time Parker had approached the sun closely. While NASA expects the spacecraft to have at least two more flybys of the sun, this was the closest it has ever been and will ever be to the star. However, NASA lost contact with the spacecraft during this flyby, and the first confirmation of Parker’s survival is expected on December 27.
Parker Solar Probe has already broken records in the past, achieving a speed of 394,736 miles per hour (635,266 kilometers per hour) on September 21, 2023, making it the fastest human-built object. During the recent flyby on Christmas Eve, the spacecraft reached a speed of 430,000 mph (692,000 kph), setting a new speed record for itself.
This unprecedented speed was made possible by seven gravity assists from Venus flybys, with the last one occurring in November 2024.
The Parker Solar Probe continues its true mission
However, breaking records is not the primary goal of Parker’s mission. The spacecraft’s main objective is to gather data about the sun, particularly its outer atmosphere, the corona, which reaches temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (980 degrees Celsius).
By studying the solar corona, scientists hope to unravel the mystery of the coronal heating problem, which has puzzled researchers for years. This phenomenon refers to the inexplicable high temperatures of the corona compared to the sun’s surface, the photosphere.
While our understanding of stars suggests that temperatures should increase closer to the core where nuclear fusion occurs, the corona defies this logic, reaching temperatures exceeding 2 million degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 million degrees Celsius). This anomaly has led scientists to search for additional heating mechanisms in the sun’s outer atmosphere.
Parker will continue its mission with planned flybys of the sun on March 22, 2025, and June 19, 2025, approaching the sun at similar speeds and distances as on Christmas Eve.
