In late 2021, we shared a series of images taken by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe as it flew through—and touched—the sun’s upper atmosphere, or corona. These stunning captures provided an unprecedented glimpse of the massive star from inside its magnetic field.
Last week, NASA released a new batch of images from the probe as it traveled even closer to the sun. On December 24, 2024, the spacecraft reached 3.8 million miles from the surface, a distance that allowed its Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) to document the steady stream of electrically charged particles known as solar winds.
Roaring throughout the solar system, these winds are responsible for many of the weather-related phenomena we experience here on Earth, particularly as they collide and breach the magnetic field surrounding the sun. “Together with outbursts of material and magnetic currents from the sun, it helps generate auroras, strip planetary atmospheres, and induce electric currents that can overwhelm power grids and affect communications at Earth,” a statement says.
Researchers add that knowing more about these ejections, which are often unpredictable and can radically change direction upon collision, will help to better prepare astronauts and scientists for the space weather events that have wide-reaching effects on Earth and beyond.
It’s worth watching NASA’s explainer video above for more insight into these groundbreaking images, and keep an eye out for more of the Parker Solar Probe’s findings in the coming months. The spacecraft is scheduled for its next venture this September. (via PetaPixel)
