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NASA spacecraft just plunged into the sun and broke stunning records


Published on 2024-12-25 16:22:17 - MSN
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  • Early on Christmas Eve in 2024, a NASA craft swooped at blazing speed through the sun's atmosphere. The Parker Solar Probe, equipped with a robust heat shield, made the closest-ever approach to our dynamic star,

The NASA spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe, has recently completed its 19th close approach to the Sun, setting new records for speed and proximity. During this pass, it reached a velocity of 394,736 miles per hour, making it the fastest human-made object ever, and came within 4.51 million miles of the Sun's surface. This mission, launched in 2018, aims to study the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, to understand solar wind, magnetic fields, and other solar phenomena. The data collected could help in predicting space weather events that might affect Earth's technology. The probe's instruments are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and radiation, providing invaluable insights into solar activity.

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