The Parker probe will reach a milestone on December 24: It will make its closest approach to the Sun

Dec. 20 () –

NASA’s Parker solar probe will reach a new milestone on December 24 with a maximum approach to the Sun, as reported by the North American space agency.

With the mission to ‘touch’ the Sun, NASA’s Parker solar probe became the first spacecraft in 2021 to pass through the corona, the upper atmosphere of the Sun.

With each orbit closer to the Sun, the probe braves brutal heat and radiation to provide humanity with unprecedented observations, visiting the only star we can study up close.

Launched in 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe studies the Sun closer than any other spacecraft, very close to Mercury’s orbit.

With each orbit closer to our host star, the probe braves brutal heat and radiation to provide humanity with unprecedented observations.

Parker is collecting measurements and images to expand our understanding of the origin and evolution of the solar wind, and is instrumental in forecasting changes in the space environment that affect life and technology on Earth. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe studies the Sun from closer than any other spacecraft.