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What significant findings will Parker Solar Probe's closest approach yield by June 2025?
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New insights into solar corona • 25%
New insights into solar wind • 25%
New insights into solar magnetic fields • 25%
No significant new insights • 25%
Scientific publications or NASA press releases
Story
NASA's Parker Solar Probe to Make Historic Closest Approach to Sun on Christmas Eve
Dec 23, 2024, 11:46 AM
NASA's Parker Solar Probe is set to make a historic closest approach to the sun on December 24, 2024, at 6:53 a.m. EST, Christmas Eve. The spacecraft will come within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles (approximately 6.1 million kilometers) of the sun's surface, closer than any human-made object has ever ventured to a star. Launched in 2018, the probe aims to study the sun's corona and solar wind, despite extreme temperatures that reach 1 million°F outside. Thanks to its 4.5-inch-thick heat shield, the spacecraft maintains an internal temperature of 85°F. During this perihelion, it will travel at speeds up to 430,000 mph (approximately 690,000 km/h), making it the fastest object ever built by humans. Communication with the probe is not possible during the closest approach due to interference from the sun. Scientists hope this mission will provide unprecedented insights into solar phenomena.
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No significant insights • 25%
Significant insights on solar wind • 25%
Significant insights on corona temperature • 25%
Both significant insights • 25%
Enhanced understanding of corona temperatures • 25%
Discovery of unknown solar phenomena • 25%
Other significant scientific achievements • 25%
New insights into solar wind dynamics • 25%
Corona heating mechanisms • 25%
Solar wind behavior • 25%
Magnetic field dynamics • 25%
Other • 25%
Discovery of new solar phenomena • 25%
Significant new data on solar wind • 25%
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Unsuccessful approach • 25%
Successful approach, no data collected • 25%
Successful approach and data collection • 25%
No confirmation received • 25%
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New insight into solar wind • 25%
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No major discovery • 25%
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Confirmation of existing theories • 25%
Inconclusive data • 25%
Technical issues prevented data collection • 25%
3.5 to 3.8 million miles • 25%
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3 to 3.5 million miles • 25%
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Solar wind • 25%
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4.0 million miles • 25%
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3.5 million miles • 25%
3.8 million miles • 25%
Coronal mass ejections • 25%
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Solar wind • 25%
Solar corona heating • 25%