Finding out more about the sun's atmosphere
Randy Mann.
JAKE PARRISH/Press
Over the years, I have featured many articles about our sun, including sunspots, solar flares, cycles and its activity. Last week was a landmark occasion for NASA as a sophisticated solar probe plunged into the sun’s outer atmosphere with hopes of better understanding how this star works. On Dec. 24, the probe had its record-breaking approach as it became the only human-made object to get close or “touch” the sun.
Back in 2018, NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe and Dec. 24, the probe came within 3.8 million miles above the sun’s surface and survived the extreme temperatures and radiation. Scientists had to nervously await the probe’s reply for several days as the harsh conditions kept it from communicating with Earth.
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