Last Tuesday, the Parker solar probe recorded an unprecedented hit on the solo attempt 6.1 million kilometers of the solar surfacethus marking the greatest concern for humanity to a star. This record-breaking surprise, achieved at dizzying speed 692,000 kilometers per hourconverted Parker into the fastest human-made object, as confirmed by NASA during a recent presentation.
The excellence of this historic event was confirmed by the viernes from the morning, when the operations team of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in Maryland, received a signal from the ship shortly before the average of the games. Although the probe is not yet communicating during its most sought-after period, scientists expect to receive detailed and crucial data on the Sun when the information collected is regressed to the near Earth 1 of black.
This logo is the result of an effort spanning more than six years since the launch of the probe August 12, 2018an event in which he witnessed astrophysical recognition Doctor Eugene Parkerpioneer in the field of heliology and namesake of the ship. Dr. Parker, who passed away in March 2022 at age 94, witnessed the first progress of the mission, which aims to solve some of the sun's biggest mysteries.
A solar laboratory on the move
The Parker probe has converted the first spaceship in «tocar el Sol» in December 2021, when it crossed the solar corona, the upper atmosphere of our star. Since then, it has collected valuable data on solar particles and magnetic fields, giving scientists unprecedented insight into the inner workings of the Sun.
One of the major puzzles that heliophysicists try to solve is how to generate the solar winda constant stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun, as well as because the solar corona is much hotter than its surface. Also desean entender las coronal mass glasseshuge clouds of ionized plasma and magnetic fields that, heading towards Earth, can cause geomagnetic torment. These torments can alter satellite systems, energy infrastructure, and communications on our planet.
Con i sobrevuelos más cercas yet to come, programmed for him March 22 and June 19, 2025the Parker Solar Probe promises to capture new light on these phenomena and explore unknown solar territories.
Design to resist the sun
The Parker Solar Probe features cutting-edge technology designed to withstand the extreme conditions of the solar environment. Its heat shield de 11.4cm thickManufactured with carbon foam, it can withstand high temperatures 1,400 degrees Celsiusalthough expect to encounter high temperatures in the area 980 degrees Celsius during his next investigations.
Despite these extreme conditions, the interior of the spacecraft maintains an ambient temperature that allows its electronic and scientific systems to function. Furthermore, an innovative water refrigeration system keeps the solar panels at a constant temperature even near the sun.
During these sobrevuelos, Parker operates autonomously, as its proximity to the Sun hinders direct communication with mission control. However, once you have read enough, I have sent you a signal known as bailiff tonewhich provides basic information about your overall status. The complete data and images recorded during the checks will be available for three weeks later, at half time.
A sun more active than ever
Parker Solar Probe's mission coincides with a key moment in the solar activity cycle. Shortly after its launch, Sol entered a new 11-year cycle and is currently in its own solar maximuma phase in which our star's activity approaches its highest point. During this period, the Sun's magnetic poles are damaged, which generates a significant increase in the amount of sun and phenomena such as coronal mass eyes.
This increase in solar activity has been evident in recent years, with events such as the May 2023 geomagnetic torments generating auroras visible as far south as the US. According to scientists, this torment may have been an extremely rare event, with a frequency of appearances between 100 and 500 years.
The Parker Solar Probe, when it is closer to the Sun than ever before, has a unique opportunity to observe these phenomena up close and provide data that could help predict future solar torments. This is critical not only for scientific research, but also for protecting the Earth's technological infrastructure.
A legacy for heliophysics
Helene Winters, director of the Parker Solar Probe project, singled out the impact of the mission's transformer in the field of heliotherapy. “After years consuming the heat and dust of the inner solar system, the probe continues to thrive, facing conditions no other spacecraft have seen,” Winters said in a statement.
Dr. C. Alex Young, of NASA's Heliological Sciences Division, also underlined the importance of this mission as a “natural laboratory” to study only our Sun, but also other stars in the universe. “El Sol is the only star we can meditate on directly. What we learn here will help us understand how to interact with stars and planets in other solar systems,” he explained.
The future of the mission
With its final conclusions established, the Parker probe continues to write a crucial chapter in space exploration. The collected data alone could not have answered fundamental questions about the Sun, but it would also have uncovered new mysteries about the universe.
For scientists, the Sun will follow watching a fascinating object and study, and Parker Solar Probe is ready to reach challenging the limits that is possible in space exploration. In the meantime, the mission team hopes that Sol will provide spectacular moments during future encounters.
“Sol, por favor, haz lo mejor que puedas,” said Nour Rawafi, Parker Solar Probe project scientist. “Danos the strongest event that tengas, and the probe will be list to face it.”
