The Parker Solar Probe lifted off from earth in 2018. It headed to the sun and has been circling ever closer. Earlier this year, it got close enough to dip into the sun's corona.
The sun has a much more complex structure than we normally visualize. Yes, it's a burning ball of gas, but there's a lot more to it. The sun has an atmosphere, in which gravity and magnetic forces hold material close. Above that atmosphere is the corona, where rising material escapes gravity and is pushed away from the sun as solar wind, never to return. The boundary between the atmosphere and the corona is called the Alfvén critical surface. In April, the Parker probe crossed that boundary. Getting closer to the sun, about 6.5 millions miles from the surface, the probe entered the pseudostreamer, where particles are held tightly to the sun. Scientists describe it as akin to entering the eye of a storm, where calm provides a contrast to the chaos surrounding it. Coronal streamers became visible, which are solar features seen from earth during an eclipse. In this video, you can see the streamers. Notice the Milky Way in the background.
The Parker Solar Probe is expected to fly ever closer to the sun over the next four years. Here's a video that goes into details of the coronal rendezvous.
You can read even more about the event at the Parker Solar Probe site. Catch up on the history of the mission and keep up with future events by checking back at the mission site, as more news develops. -via Metafilter
(Image credit: NASA)
#sun #corona #ParkerSolarProbe #solar
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