Image Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe.

NASA’s Spacecraft Sent to “Touch the Sun” Snaps First Image from “Inside” Sun’s Atmosphere

Hot. Very, very, hot.

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A Mission Like No Other

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is on an unparalleled mission, speeding towards the Sun with the goal of becoming the first spacecraft to ever “touch” our nearest star. As it journeys, the probe is gathering scientific data and taking remarkable images.

Venturing into the Sun’s Corona

In October and November, the Parker Solar Probe crossed the Sun’s corona, its super-hot atmosphere. During this historic moment, the spacecraft captured never-before-seen images from “inside” the Sun.

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This image was captured by Parker's WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe). Image Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe.
This image was taken on Nov. 8, 2018, at 1:12 a.m. EST, and comes from the Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR (Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument. Image Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe. (That faint dot, seen in the middle of Mercury, is most likely part of the background corrections made in the image.)

Capturing Stunning Solar Images

The incredible photograph was taken by the probe’s WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument when the spacecraft was 16.9 million miles from the Sun, inside the star’s corona. The image reveals distinct jets of solar material, known as coronal streamers, visible to the left/center of the picture. The bright spot in the image is Mercury, while the black spots near the planet are artifacts of background correction.

Breaking Records on the Way to the Sun

Before heading towards the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe snapped its first images from space on September 19, 2018, confirming that all its instruments were functioning perfectly. In October, the spacecraft began breaking records, becoming the closest human-made object ever to approach the Sun and the fastest spacecraft in history.

This GIF image shows data from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead (STEREO-A) spacecraft. The bright point is actually NASA's Parker Solar Probe as it flew through the sun's outer atmosphere during its first flyby in November 2018.
 Image Credit: NASA/STEREO
This GIF image shows data from NASA’s Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead (STEREO-A) spacecraft. The bright point is actually NASA’s Parker Solar Probe as it flew through the sun’s outer atmosphere during its first flyby in November 2018.
 Image Credit: NASA/STEREO

A Tribute to Eugene Parker

The Parker Solar Probe is named after Eugene Parker, the physicist who first proposed the existence of the solar wind – the Sun’s constant outpouring of material – in 1958. “This is the first NASA mission to be named for a living individual,” said Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Gene Parker’s revolutionary paper predicted the heating and expansion of the corona and solar wind. Now, with Parker Solar Probe, we can truly understand what drives that constant flow out to the edge of the heliosphere.”


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Written by Ivan Petricevic

I've been writing passionately about ancient civilizations, history, alien life, and various other subjects for more than eight years. You may have seen me appear on Discovery Channel's What On Earth series, History Channel's Ancient Aliens, and Gaia's Ancient Civilizations among others.

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