NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Set for Historic Sun Flyby on Christmas Eve
Washington, D.C. – In what will be a festive yet scientifically monumental event, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to make its closest-ever flyby of the sun on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, at precisely 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT). This daring approach will bring the spacecraft within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface, setting new records for both proximity to the sun and speed for a human-made object.
The Parker Solar Probe, named after the solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker, has been on a mission since its launch in 2018 to unravel the mysteries of the sun’s corona – its outermost atmosphere. The spacecraft’s journey has included multiple close encounters with the sun, each orbit bringing it closer than the last. This Christmas Eve flyby will be the 22nd close encounter, marking a significant milestone in solar science.
During this unprecedented close approach, the probe will travel at about 430,000 mph (692,000 kph), a speed achieved through strategic gravity assists from its seven flybys of Venus. This velocity allows the probe to dive through the sun’s corona, providing scientists with invaluable data on solar phenomena, including why the corona is millions of degrees hotter than the sun’s surface, despite being further from the core.
“This is one example of NASA’s bold missions, doing something that no one else has ever done before to answer longstanding questions about our universe,” stated Arik Posner, Parker Solar Probe program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We can’t wait to receive that first status update from the spacecraft and start receiving the science data in the coming weeks.”
The flyby’s significance goes beyond mere proximity; it’s a chance to study the sun in a way never before possible. The probe will cut through plumes of plasma still connected to the sun and might even pass through a solar eruption, likened by experts to a surfer diving under an ocean wave. This will offer insights into solar winds, magnetic fields, and the processes driving solar activity, which can impact Earth’s space environment.
However, during this close approach, the spacecraft will be out of contact with mission control, with communications expected to resume after the flyby when the probe sends a beacon tone on December 27 to confirm its health. Following this, initial images and data are anticipated in the weeks following New Year’s, promising to expand our understanding of solar physics.
The excitement around this event is palpable, with posts on X discussing the potential insights into solar storms and the sun’s outer atmosphere. NASA itself has engaged with the public, hosting live sessions where experts answered questions about the mission, emphasizing the historical nature of this flyby.
As the Parker Solar Probe prepares to make history, scientists and enthusiasts worldwide are setting their alarms for this early Christmas morning event, eager to celebrate not just the holiday but also the remarkable achievements in space exploration. This flyby will not only mark a technological triumph but also open new chapters in our understanding of the star that sustains life on Earth.
