NASA’s Parker Solar Probe achieved a record-breaking close approach to the Sun on December 24, flying just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) above its surface, the US space agency announced on Friday.
“This milestone marks a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to explore a star,” said Nicky Fox, head of NASA’s science mission directorate.
By studying the Sun up close, scientists aim to deepen their understanding of its effects across the solar system, including on Earth’s technology, and gain insights into the behavior of stars to support the search for habitable worlds beyond Earth, Fox explained.
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe has used seven Venus flybys to harness the planet’s gravity and progressively draw closer to the Sun.
