NASA‘s Parker Solar Probe made history when it made the closest approach to the Sun in history last December, and we’re finally able to take a look at some of the images it captured. The space agency has published a timeline of observations made with the Parker Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) as it passed through the solar corona (outer atmosphere) on December 25, 2024, showing an up-close look at how the solar wind acts shortly after it is released. The probe took these images at a distance of only 3.8 million miles from the Sun’s surface. To put this in perspective, NASA’s video explains: “If the Earth and Sun were one foot apart, the Parker Solar Probe would be about half an inch from the Sun.”
During the approach, the probe captured unprecedented images of the solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which could be invaluable to our understanding of space weather. “We’re seeing where space weather threats to Earth begin with our own eyes, not just models,” said Nicky Fox, assistant administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. After completing its December flyby, the Parker Solar Probe reached its record distance from the surface during subsequent close encounters in March and June. The next flyby will take place on September 15.
