On January 29, the Parker solar probe came close to the Sun. The spacecraft set the record for the shortest distance from the Sun, approaching "only" 18.6 million kilometers from our star, reports Clubic . This distance is less than that which separates Mercury and the Sun. To do this, the solar probe reached the record speed of 393,000 km / h. At such a rate, the machine could have linked Paris to New York in less than a minute.
For the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), which coordinates the mission, the orbit carried out on January 29 is a great success. The probe was able to pass as close to the Sun then send a signal to the teams, proof of its proper functioning despite the significant exposure to solar radiation.
The objective of this mission is to understand the mechanisms of magnetic fields or the origin of the solar wind. To do this, the Parker solar probe performs several orbits by trying to get as close to the Sun as possible. At the end of January, it was the fourth orbit out of the 26 scheduled by 2025. The probe should therefore break new records in the future.
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