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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe enters the Sun’s atmosphere for the first time: Digital photography review


Illustration provided by NASA

NASA has announced that Parker Solar Probe flew through the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona, for the first time. While there, the probe sampled particles and magnetic fields and took close-up, historic pictures of the corolla luminaires.

Like humanity’s first steps on the Moon, the Parker Solar Probe ‘touches the very things the Sun is made of’ will usher in a new era of solar science. We are significantly closer to understanding important information about the Sun and how it affects the Solar system and the Earth itself.

Thomas Zurbuchen, deputy administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said: ‘The Parker Solar Probe’ touching the Sun ‘is a stunning moment for energy science. sun and is a truly remarkable feat. ‘This milestone not only provides us with deeper insights into the evolution of the Sun and its impact on our Solar system, but everything we learn about the star. own also teaches us more about the stars in the rest of the universe.’

The Parker Solar Probe is making discoveries that other spacecraft cannot make because they are so far away. The Parker Solar Probe has observed the flow of particles in the solar wind and determined where they originate, which is the surface of the sun. Continuing to fly close will provide more data and insight into phenomena that cannot be observed from a distance. ‘Flying very close to the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe now senses conditions in the gas’s magnetically dominant layer, said Nour Raouafi, Parker project scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. the Sun – the corona – that we have never been able to do before. Laurel, Maryland. ‘We see evidence of the halo’s existence in magnetic field data, solar wind data and visualization in the images. We can actually see the spacecraft passing through the ring structures that can be observed during a total solar eclipse. ‘

Following its launch in 2018, Parker Solar Probe made other important discoveries. The spacecraft passed through the critical surface Alfvén for the first time on April 28, 2021. Scientists did not know exactly where this critical surface was. It is the point that marks the end of the solar atmosphere and the beginning of the solar wind. Beyond the critical surface Alfvén, the solar wind moves so quickly that the waves in the wind never return to the Sun, severing their connection. Before the Parker Solar Probe crossed the threshold, remote images of the corona could only narrow the position of the critical surface of Alfvén to somewhere between 6.9 million kilometers from the surface of the Sun. to 13.8 million km (4.3 to 8.6 million mi). The Parker Solar Probe entered the exact conditions of the Alfvén critical surface 13M km (8.1M mi) from the Sun, or at about 18.8 Sun radii.

‘When the Parker Solar Probe passed through the corona on its 9th encounter, the spacecraft was flown by structures known as solar emitters. These structures can be thought of as bright features moving upward in the upper images and slanting down in the lower row. Such a view was only possible because the spacecraft flew above and below the transponders inside the corona. So far, the live streamers have only been seen from afar. They are visible from Earth during total solar eclipses. ‘

Image credit and caption: NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Naval Research Laboratory

During the recent flight of the Parker Solar Probe, the spacecraft entered and exited the corona several times, demonstrating what some had previously predicted, that the vital surface Alfvén was absent. shaped like a smooth ball that has spikes and valleys. Wrinkled surface. If scientists can determine where the spikes correspond to activity from the Sun’s surface, we’ll be in a better position to understand how surface events affect the atmosphere and solar wind. God.

At one point, the Parker Solar Probe was nearly 15 Sun radii from the Sun’s surface (10.46M km / 6.5M mi). As it did so, the technology transformed a secondary feature known as pseudotransmission. These are ‘huge structures that rise above the surface of the Sun and can be seen from Earth during eclipses.’ NASA likens going through wiretaps to flying into the eye of a hurricane. Inside the pseudo-current generator, the conditions are quieter. The conditions are quiet enough for the magnetic field in the region to determine the motion of the particles, which further proves that the plane has passed the Alfvén critical surface.

This chart shows the Parker Solar Probe’s distance from the Sun at various key mission points.

Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Mary P. Hrybyk-Keith

The mission aims to get closer to the surface of the Sun. Much closer. The ultimate goal is to obtain 8.86 solar radii (6.16 million km/3.83 million mi) from the surface. “I’m excited to see what Parker finds as it continues to pass through the corona in the years to come,” said Nicola Fox, division manager for the Helicopters Division at NASA Headquarters. ‘The opportunities for new discoveries are limitless.’

To read more about the Parker Solar Probe’s mission, including its role in uncovering the origin of reverse transitions in the solar wind, visit NASA. The most recent discoveries are outlined in a newly published paper, ‘Parker Solar Probe enters Corona The sun is magnetically dominated‘ by JC Kasper et al. The next flight is scheduled for next month, and we’re excited to see what the Parker Solar Probe team discovers.



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