Forbes by Jamie Carter
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has traveled to within just 3.86 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface — a new record — on Christmas Eve. You can follow Parker’s landmark moment on NASA’s Eyes On The Solar System page.
In one of humankind’s most impressive feats of space exploration, Tuesday, Dec. 24 saw a heavily armored NASA spacecraft — no bigger than a small car — became the closest human-made object to the sun in history. It also saw humanity’s closest-ever approach to a star and the fastest-ever human-made object break its speed record.
Monumental FeatThis monumental feat of exploration occurred at 11:53 UTC (6:53 a.m. EST) on Tuesday, Dec. 24, as Parker conducted an unprecedented close flyby of the sun, reaching just 3.86 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from its surface. It was its 22nd close approach to the sun.
At 96% of the distance between the sun and Earth — well within the orbit of Mercury at about 39% — it is the closest any human-made object has ever been to the sun.
More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/12/24/nasa-spacecraft-touches-sun-in-defining-moment-for-humankind/
