NASA's Parker Solar Probe made history on December 24, flying within 6.1 million km of the sun’s surface, the closest any human-made object has ever been.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made history on December 24 by flying into the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, marking the closest any human-made object has ever come to a star.
The probe flew within 6.1 million km of the sun's surface, a significant achievement in solar research. As the spacecraft reached speeds of up to 692,000 kph, it endured extreme temperatures of nearly 982 degrees Celsius, pushing the limits of its technology.
Dr. Nicholeen Viall, a heliophysicist and Punch Mission scientist, explained, “To get that close, we had to use Venus to have our gravity assist to slow Parker down so that it could get that close. Also, we had to not melt. That's why Parker has this heat shield that holds the instruments at room temperature and keeps the heat of the sun away.”
The Parker Solar Probe, which launched in 2018, has been gradually getting closer to the sun using Venus flybys to adjust its orbit.
On this close flyby, the probe passed through the solar atmosphere for the second time, after its initial entry in 2021, revealing new details about the sun’s corona. “We have never had a human-made object so close to the sun,” Dr. Viall added, highlighting the importance of this mission in studying solar phenomena.
The probe’s mission is especially timely, as it coincides with the solar maximum, a period when the sun is most active, with frequent solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Research astrophysicist Dr. J. Grant Mitchell noted, “We're here at Solar Maximum, which is the time that the sun is the most dynamic... by passing this close to the sun, we're able to observe these explosions close up.”
This proximity allows the probe to capture these powerful solar events in unprecedented detail, offering scientists a unique opportunity to study their origins before they reach Earth.
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NASA’s Artemis II crew has returned safely to Earth after completing a landmark journey around the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century.
The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission are preparing to return to Earth after completing a groundbreaking journey around the Moon, with a Pacific Ocean splashdown expected off the coast of San Diego at around 01:00 BST (12:00 GMT).
Astronauts aboard Artemis II have described the emotional toll of their historic journey as they prepare for a high-risk “fireball” re-entry. The crew is set to splash down off California on Friday (10 April) after travelling farther than any humans in history.
The four astronauts aboard Artemis II briefly lost contact with Earth while flying behind the Moon, then regained it during a dramatic lunar far-side flyby.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran loomed over U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China, as signs emerged that the conflict is causing a shift in alliances across the Middle East.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has “no trust” in the United States and will only consider negotiations if Washington shows seriousness. His remarks came as talks on Iran’s nuclear programme continued, with Trump and Xi also opposing Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
When Donald Trump boarded Air Force One for Beijing on Tuesday, he brought two cabinet members whose presence in China would have seemed unlikely a year ago, highlighting an unusual moment in U.S.–China relations.
The Eurovision Song Contest opened in Vienna on Tuesday amid heightened political tensions, as Israel competed in the first semi-final despite a boycott by five European broadcasters over the war in Gaza.
The Spanish government has issued a defiant message to Silicon Valley, confirming it will push ahead with stringent new legislation designed to make social networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI) demonstrably safer.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Every day, an elderly woman in China’s Shandong province looks forward to a video call from her son. He asks about her health, tells her he has been busy with work, and promises he will come home once he has saved enough money. She tells him she misses him. He tells her to take care of herself.
Deep in the ancient forests of southern China, researchers have discovered a small, shy snake with an extraordinary survival trick: when threatened, it creates the illusion that it has two heads.
A U.S. Department of Justice official said Washington was preparing to indict former Cuban president Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of aircraft operated by "Brothers to the Rescue", a Miami-based exile group that conducted search-and-rescue flights for Cuban migrants.
Australian citizens evacuated from a Dutch-flagged cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have returned home after two weeks overseas. The passengers will now undergo quarantine and further testing in Western Australia.
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