The NASA Parker Solar Probe will pass incredibly close to the sun this year to collect a sample from the star in a pivotal moment scientists have likened to the first moon landing.
The probe launched on 12 August 2018 but, on 24 December 2024, it will fly past the sun at 435,000mph, just 3.8 million miles from its surface in a bid to collect a sample.
It will be the first sample of a star ever collected and the craft will be seven times closer to the sun than any other craft in humanity’s history.
Nour Raouafi, a scientist working on the project, told the BBC: “We are basically almost landing on a star. This will be a monumental achievement for all humanity. This is equivalent to the Moon landing of 1969.”
The probe will gather photographs and measurements that scientists hope will help them better understand the phenomenon of solar wind.
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It also will hopefully allow scientists to better predict space weather like solar storms that can affect electronics on Earth.
Solar wind – or coronal mass ejection – causes dazzling Auroras at the Earth’s poles when it interacts with the planet’s magnetic fields.
Dr Nicky Fox, Nasa’s head of science, told the BBC that scientists “didn’t know” what they would find out from the historic mission but that they’ll “be looking for waves in the solar wind associated with the heating”.
She added: “I suspect we’ll sense lots of different types of waves which would point to a mix of processes that people have been arguing over for years”
The mission is taking place as the sun reaches the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, meaning the frequency and strength of solar winds and flares can become more powerful.
While, typically, these natural phenomena don’t cause disruption, a powerful enough solar event could disrupt the internet worldwide and cause radio blackouts.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
