Studying the Sun

Needless to say that without the sun our lives would not exist. The heat and light provided by this star is what allows life to flourish on Earth. Yet as a species, we have very little knowledge about this celestial body. So NASA decided to rectify the gaps in knowledge by sending in PARKER. They feel that they will get an unprecedented view of the sun and it’s functioning if they can study it up close.

The Solar Probe was launched in August 2018 and is to pass the sun 24 times during this science project. Three of these have already been accomplished and made record improvements in our knowledge about the sun’s atmosphere also known as the corona. Four papers worth of information is already derived from the data sent back and this is just the beginning.

PARKER has the record of being the closest solar probe ever and has revealed new information about the behavior of the material and particles that speed away from the Sun. This information helps in understanding the space weather around the planet, which in turns helps scientists design technology to keep astronauts safe. It is an incredibly exciting time for heliophysics with Parker at the vanguard of new discoveries