Parker Solar Probe Makes Historic Sun Flyby

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is set to achieve a new milestone this Christmas Eve morning with its closest-ever pass by the sun. On December 24 at 6:53 AM ET, the spacecraft will come within just 3.8 million miles of the solar surface, making it the nearest any human-made object has ever been to a star.

This event marks the 22nd orbit of the Parker Solar Probe, which launched in 2018, and is the first of three planned close flybys during the mission’s final phase. The probe will travel at an incredible 430,000 miles per hour as it gathers crucial data from the sun’s outer atmosphere.

Nick Pinkine, mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, highlighted the historic nature of this achievement, stating, “No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker will be sending back data from uncharted territory.”

The spacecraft will check in with its team on December 27 when it moves far enough from the sun to reestablish communication. This data will provide unprecedented insights into solar activity and its impact on the solar system. With a total of 24 orbits planned, the Parker Solar Probe continues to push the boundaries of space exploration.