NASA's Parker Solar Probe achieves historic final approach to the sun

On its mission to study the sun, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has accomplished a significant milestone by making its third and final close approach to the sun on March 22, 2025. This achievement brought the spacecraft within just 3.86 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the solar surface, where it faced extreme temperatures ranging from 1,600 to 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (870 to 930 degrees Celsius). The probe traveled at speeds of around 430,000 miles per hour (690,000 kilometers per hour), and thanks to gravity assists from Venus, it was able to reach this remarkable proximity. One of the main objectives during this close encounter was to gather data to understand the solar corona, which is a million times hotter than the sun’s surface, known as the photosphere. A better comprehension of the corona is crucial for forecasting space weather, which can significantly affect satellites, astronauts, and even natural phenomena like the Northern Lights. The Parker Solar Probe's findings coincide with the peak of Solar Cycle 25, highlighting the sun's fluctuating magnetic activity over its 11-year cycle. At the center of the probe's findings is the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection, which refers to a process where magnetic field lines intertwine, break apart, and reconnect in explosive events. This process has been identified as a new source of energetic particles within the solar corona, leading to a deeper understanding of solar phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This important discovery was highlighted in a study published on June 3, utilizing data collected by Parker during its close passes. Although the Parker Solar Probe will continue to orbit the sun, it will not be able to come closer to the sun than it has during these final perihelion encounters. The mission highlights human ambition in space exploration and the desire to unravel the mysteries of our solar system, with the implications of better space weather forecasting resonating widely within both scientific and practical realms.