NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has achieved a record-breaking close-up view of the Sun’s atmosphere, capturing stunning new images of features in the solar wind that rage across the solar system at speeds exceeding 1 million miles an hour. The spacecraft flew just 3.8 million miles from the solar surface on its latest pass, providing scientists with unprecedented insights into the mysteries of the solar wind.
The new close-up images reveal the corona and solar wind, a constant stream of electrically charged particles from the Sun that expand throughout the solar system with wide-ranging effects. The images also show the important boundary where the Sun’s magnetic field direction switches from northward to southward, called the heliospheric current sheet.
Scientists believe that these new findings will help improve space weather predictions, ensuring the safety of astronauts and protecting technology on Earth and throughout the solar system. The data collected by Parker Solar Probe is also shedding light on the origins of the solar wind, including its slow solar wind, which is twice as dense and more variable than fast solar wind.
Parker Solar Probe’s close-up view has confirmed two types of slow solar wind: Alfvénic and non-Alfvénic. The spacecraft’s data suggests that the non-Alfvénic wind may come from helmet streamers, while the Alfvénic wind might originate near coronal holes. This new information will help scientists better understand the interplay between fast and slow solar winds, which can create moderately strong solar storm conditions at Earth.
The mission continues to gather additional data during its upcoming passes through the corona, with the next pass coming on September 15, 2025. Scientists are excited about the new insights gained from Parker Solar Probe’s close-up view of the Sun’s atmosphere, which will aid in better understanding space weather and improving our knowledge of the solar wind.
Source: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/nasas-parker-solar-probe-snaps-closest-ever-images-to-sun