Images taken from the closest point to the Sun have been released

These images, taken from the closest distance to the Sun so far, provide scientists with important data to understand the effects of the Sun on Earth and the entire Solar System.

"Thanks to the Parker Probe, we're observing the dynamic atmosphere of our nearest star so closely for the first time. With this data, we can improve space weather forecasting and better protect the safety of our astronauts and technology," said Nicky Fox of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

PASSED THROUGH THE SUN'S OUTER ATMOSPHERE

The Parker Probe passed through the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, to within just 6.1 million kilometers (3.8 million miles) of the Sun on December 24, 2024. Advanced instruments like the Wide Field Solar Imager (WISPR) imaged the corona and the solar wind, a constantly emitted stream of charged particles.

These new images reveal the behavior of the solar wind immediately after it leaves the corona. They record in high resolution the boundary of the heliospheric current sheet, where the Sun's magnetic field shifts from north to south, and the first large coronal mass ejections (CMEs) colliding. These collisions can further complicate the impact of space weather on Earth, from power grids to satellite communications.

The source of the solar wind is being illuminated

The Parker Probe's findings also illuminate the source of the fast solar wind. Theories of the solar wind, proposed by Eugene Parker in 1958, were a turning point in understanding how this stream escapes the Sun's powerful gravity. However, these new observations offer more clues about the origin of the slow solar wind, in particular. Scientists suspect that the slow wind has different properties than the fast wind and originates in distinct regions, such as helmet-like structures or coronal holes. The Parker Probe will make another close pass of the Sun in September 2025 to gather more data, particularly on the source of the slow solar wind.