It was the night before Christmas, then during the entire solar cycle
Not a sunspot moved, not even an eruption;
The stockings have all been hung with care due to the corona,
Hoping that the Parker Solar Probe would be available soon.
Hardly anyone ever writes about the Parker Solar Probe anymore.
Certainly, the spacecraft received some attention when it launched. After all, it is the fastest moving object humans have ever built. At its maximum speed, powered by the sun's gravity, the probe reaches a speed of 430,000 miles per hour, or more than one-sixth of 1 percent of the speed of light. With that kind of speed, you can get from New York City to Tokyo in less than a minute.
And the Parker Solar Probe also has the distinction of being the first NASA spacecraft named after a living person. At launch, in August 2018, physicist Eugene Parker was 91 years old.
But in the six years since the probe flew through space and flew past the sun? Not so much. Let's face it: the astrophysical properties of the sun and its complex structure are not something most people think about on a daily basis.
However, the small probe – it weighs less than a ton and its science payload is only about 110 pounds (50 kg) – is about to spin its star. Very literally. On Christmas Eve, the Parker Solar Probe will make its closest approach to the sun yet. It will come within just 6.1 million km of the solar surface and enter the solar atmosphere for the first time.
Yes, it's going to be quite warm. Scientists estimate that the probe's heat shield will endure temperatures of more than 2,500° Fahrenheit (1,371°C) on Christmas Eve, which is virtually the opposite of the North Pole.
Straight to the source
I spoke to NASA's head of science, Nicky Fox, to understand why the probe is being tortured so much. Before moving to NASA Headquarters, Fox was the project scientist for the Parker Solar Probe, and she explained that scientists really want to understand the origins of the solar wind.
