One of the most important factors for sustaining life on Earth is the presence of the sun, which has a direct impact on different types of life. It is important for photosynthesis and vitamin production. Despite its importance and the fact that it is relatively close, many questions about the Sun remain unanswered, such as the question of coronal heating and the formation of solar winds.
Many astronomers have been trying to study and answer these questions for decades, but more detailed observations are needed. It is with this in mind that NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe in 2018. It was designed to be the closest object to the Sun in order to observe the outer layers such as the solar corona. Advanced technologies enabled the probe to achieve this feat in 2021.
When the Parker Solar Probe first touched the Sun in 2021, it broke the record for the first man-made object to touch the Sun. Additionally, the probe also broke the record for the fastest object ever built by man. Since then, the probe has continued to collect data and is expected to circle the Sun at least 24 times to study its environment.
Parker Solar Probe
The Parker Solar Probe was launched on August 12, 2018 with the aim of being the first probe to touch the Sun. The idea of the project is for the probe to orbit the Sun and get closer and closer to it while collecting data on a region called the solar corona. It will orbit the Sun approximately 24 times, making 7 close approaches to the star.
In orbit around the Sun, the probe also broke a speed record by reaching 700,000 km/h, making it the fastest object ever created by man.
The probe’s first contact with the solar corona took place in April 2021 and NASA announced in December of the same year that the probe had come into contact with the upper solar atmosphere. During this approach, the probe collected information on magnetic fields and particle samples for analysis. The probe will be able to approach as close as 6.5 million kilometers from the surface of the Sun.
The day she touched the sun
The Parker Solar Probe passed the Sun during its eighth orbit around the star on April 28, 2021. The announcement of this feat was made during a conference on December 14, 2021. This contact took place when the probe passed through a region called the Alfvén surface, considered the edge of the solar atmosphere. This region is defined as where the solar magnetic fields dominate.
Inside the solar atmosphere, the probe obtained observations of the solar magnetic fields and was also able to capture particles for analysis. These observations made it possible to understand how particles interact with magnetic fields. Astronomers were thus able to begin to answer questions about the behavior of solar winds and how the solar corona is heated.
Probe Technology
To withstand the high temperatures of the solar environment, the Parker Solar Probe was built using cutting-edge technologies. The most notable is the Thermal Protection System (TPS), which has already been used on other probes and spacecraft. It is made of carbon with a thickness of 115 millimeters. TPS is capable of withstanding temperatures of over 1,400°C and keeping instruments at optimal temperature.
The TPS is able to protect the probe and instruments from high temperatures from the sun, but the probe is also equipped with cooling systems. It uses solar panels, which constitute the probe’s energy source. In addition, an important piece of equipment is the sensor that ensures that the heat shield of the probe is always facing the sun so as not to interfere with or damage the components.
The problem of coronal heating
One of the main mysteries that scientists hope to answer with the data obtained by the probe is coronal heating. The coronal heating problem refers to the fact that the solar surface has temperatures of around 5500 ºC while the solar corona, which is more external, reaches temperatures of over a million degrees Celsius. Some hypotheses attempt to explain how this is possible.
Most hypotheses to solve this problem are related to magnetic fields. Observations of magnetic fields made by the Parker Solar Probe have allowed astronomers to rule out certain ideas. Observations suggest that magnetic waves formed by convective movements may contribute to the heating of the solar corona.
Article reference:
Sonde Solar Parker
