Latest news with #ParkerSolarProbe
News18
16 hours ago
- Science
- News18
NASA's Parker Probe Captures Closest-Ever Image Of The Sun
Last Updated: NASA's Parker Probe captured the first-ever images from inside a solar eruption, offering vital clues about space weather and its effects on Earth The Sun, Earth's most powerful energy source, has long been a subject of awe and concern due to its sheer scale and volatile nature. Now, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has delivered astonishing new images that provide a close-up look inside the Sun's atmosphere; images as mesmerising as they are menacing. Closest Flyby Reveals Intense Solar Activity On December 24, 2024, the Parker Solar Probe made its closest-ever approach to the Sun, reaching just 3.8 million miles from its surface. During this moment, the onboard WISPR camera (Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe) captured a live eruption of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). This marks the first time scientists have directly recorded such a violent solar event from within, rather than simulating it through models. Deadly Solar Waves Observed First-Hand Within the CME, scientists observed Kelvin-Helmholtz Instabilities—swirling, wave-like patterns formed by the collision of solar flows. Once considered purely theoretical or seen only in simulations, these dangerous waveforms have now been witnessed in real solar conditions. Unprecedented Footage From Inside the Corona NASA released a video showing the Sun's corona from the probe's perspective. According to Angelos Vourlidas from Johns Hopkins University, USA, the footage shows CMEs colliding and merging, giving researchers insight into how space weather forms and evolves. NASA's Dr Nicky Fox added, 'We are finally seeing where Earth's space weather begins". Against All Odds: The Probe Survives Extreme Heat Despite temperatures above 1,300°C and intense radiation, the Parker Probe emerged undamaged. NASA engineers regard this survival as a historic feat in space engineering. What's Next For Parker? The probe's next flyby is set for September 15, 2025, where it will venture even closer to the Sun. Scientists are optimistic that this mission will help decode the origin of solar winds, which are critical in understanding and forecasting space weather. Why This Matters For Earth Space weather caused by CMEs can disrupt satellites, GPS systems, radio signals, and even power grids on Earth. These new findings will help scientists build better early-warning systems, protecting both astronauts and everyday technologies on Earth. view comments First Published: July 12, 2025, 14:06 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Behold the Closest Images of the Sun Ever Taken
On Christmas Eve of last year, NASA's Parker Solar Probe made spaceflight history, flying by the Sun at a record-setting distance of just 3.8 million miles (6.12 million kilometers) from the solar surface. During its flyby, Parker snapped some amazing close-up images of the Sun, which NASA finally released to the public yesterday. The images, captured by the probe's Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe, or WISPR, present an extraordinary view of the Sun's corona, buffeted by raging solar winds. The snapshots capture a particularly intriguing moment for solar weather, in which not one but multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—large outbursts of charged particles that affect space weather—are shown colliding at the periphery of the Sun's magnetic field. 'In these images, we're seeing the CMEs basically piling up on top of one another,' said Angelos Vourlidas, an engineer involved in WISPR at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in a statement. 'We're using this to figure out how the CMEs merge together, which can be important for space weather.' The new images also provide a high-resolution view of solar wind activity, which NASA's scientists will likely use to refine their space weather prediction abilities. 'Parker Solar Probe has once again transported us into the dynamic atmosphere of our closest star,' said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, in the same statement. 'This new data will help us vastly improve our space weather predictions to ensure the safety of our astronauts and the protection of our technology here on Earth and throughout the solar system.' 'The data that will come down from the spacecraft will be fresh information about a place that we, as humanity, have never been,' said Joe Westlake, director for NASA's Heliophysics Division, in a release published after last year's flyby. The next big milestone for Parker will happen later this year on September 15, when the probe performs another close pass. With each new orbit, Parker is steadily uncovering the many unknown characteristics of the Sun. Each flyby is a reminder of how much we still don't know about our own host star—yet, at the same time, a reminder of how far we've come.
Sinar Daily
a day ago
- Science
- Sinar Daily
Nasa probe takes images from 'closest' ever spot from the Sun
Nasa's Parker Solar Probe started its closest approach to the Sun on December 24, getting as close as 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometres) to the solar surface, the space agency said. 11 Jul 2025 08:30pm NASA's Vehicle Assembly building at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre on June 10, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) WASHINGTON - The United States (US) space agency Nasa on Thursday released the closest images captured by a probe within the Sun's atmosphere, reported German Press Agency (dpa). Nasa's Parker Solar Probe started its closest approach to the Sun on December 24, getting as close as 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometres) to the solar surface, the space agency said. Nasa said the images were "taken closer to the Sun than we've ever been before," and showed features in the corona and solar wind - a constant stream of electrically charged particles from the star that rage across the solar system at speeds exceeding one million miles (1.6 million kilometres) an hour. The Parker Solar Probe, about the size of a small car and launched in 2018 and 2021, became the first spacecraft to enter the Sun's atmosphere. "Parker Solar Probe has once again transported us into the dynamic atmosphere of our closest star," said Nasa's Nicky Fox. "We are witnessing where space weather threats to Earth begin, with our eyes, not just with models. This new data will help us vastly improve our space weather predictions to ensure the safety of our astronauts and the protection of our technology here on Earth and throughout the solar system." - BERNAMA-dpa
The Independent
2 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Nasa probe sends back closest-ever photos of the Sun
Nasa has released the closest-ever images of the Sun, captured just 3.8 million miles from its surface by the Parker Solar Probe. The probe, launched in 2018, gradually moved closer to the Sun by using Venus's gravity to achieve a tighter orbit. The newly released footage shows historic close-up images taken during the spacecraft's nearest approach to the Sun on 24 December 2024. This new data is expected to vastly improve space weather predictions, ensuring the safety of astronauts and the protection of technology on Earth and across the solar system. Watch the video in full above.
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
What happens near the Sun? NASA's Parker probe sends closest-ever photos of the Sun, unveils space weather origins
TIL Creatives During its first perihelion on October 29, 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe passed within 26.55 million miles (approximately 42.7 million kilometers) of the Sun, setting a new record as the closest-ever human-made object to the Sun. (Representative Image) NASA has released the closest photos ever taken of the Sun, captured by the Parker Solar Probe during a record-breaking flyby in December 2024. The images show the Sun's outer atmosphere and solar wind in stunning detail. It will help scientists better understand the forces that shape space weather. Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe was designed to study the Sun's corona. On Christmas Eve last year, it flew just 3.8 million miles from the Sun's surface, the closest any spacecraft has ever been. The images were taken using a specialized camera system known as the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR). Also Read: Cheaper than eggs, healthier than meat; the superfood that could save your health and the planet, and we are skipping it'These photos take us into the dynamic atmosphere of our closest star,' said Nicky Fox, a senior NASA science official. 'We're seeing where space weather begins, not through models, but with our own eyes.' The images reveal powerful solar activity, including coronal mass ejections (CMEs), huge bursts of solar material, and magnetic fields. For the first time, scientists observed multiple CMEs colliding in high resolution. 'We're watching CMEs pile up on each other,' said Angelos Vourlidas, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, which built and operates the probe. 'This helps us learn how they merge and how that affects space weather.'Watch: Such solar events can cause beautiful auroras on Earth, but they also pose risks to satellites, power grids, and even astronauts in space. The WISPR images also show the heliospheric current sheet, a region where the Sun's magnetic field flips direction. Understanding this region is key to explaining the solar wind, a steady stream of charged particles from the Sun that affects the entire solar system.'The solar wind, especially the slow stream, is still a mystery,' said Nour Rawafi, Parker's project scientist. 'But this probe is helping us get closer to the answers.'Since its launch, the Parker Solar Probe has steadily broken its own distance records. It first became the closest human-made object to the Sun in 2018. Each pass provides more insights into the Sun's magnetic field, surface activity, and next flyby is scheduled for September 15, 2025. Scientists hope it will unlock more clues about the origins and behavior of the Sun's powerful outflows.
