Parker Solar Probe Captures Closest-Ever Photos of the Sun

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has taken the closest images of the Sun ever , from a distance of just 6.2 million kilometers (3.9 million miles) from the solar surface. The data collected provides valuable information about the solar wind , the flow of electrically charged particles that propagates through the solar system, shaping space weather and impacting events on Earth. "Parker Solar Probe has once again transported us into the dynamic atmosphere of our closest star," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of the Science Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

"We are seeing the emergence of space weather threats to Earth with our own eyes, not just in models. This new data will help us significantly improve our space weather forecasts to ensure the safety of our astronauts and the protection of our technology here on Earth and throughout the Solar System." Parker Solar Probe began its closest approach to the Sun on December 24, 2024, flying just 3.8 million miles from the solar surface. As it skimmed the star's outer atmosphere, the so-called solar corona, it collected data with its onboard science instruments. In particular, new images captured by the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) instrument show the corona and the solar wind , the constant stream of electrically charged particles from the Sun that spreads throughout the Solar System with far-reaching effects that also affect Earth, generating auroras and dangerous interference with power grids, radio communications, and satellites. The WISPR images offer a deeper look at what happens to the solar wind immediately after it is released from the corona: specifically, they show the important boundary where the direction of the solar magnetic field changes from north to south. They also capture in high resolution for the first time the collision of multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) , large explosions of charged particles that are a key driver of space weather. When CMEs collide, their trajectories can change, making it more difficult to predict where they will end up. Their fusion can also accelerate charged particles and mix magnetic fields, making the effects of CMEs potentially more dangerous to astronauts and satellites in space and to technology on Earth.