Parker Solar Probe Sets Record on Christmas Eve as Fastest Object Near Sun

Dec 24, 2024, 02:00 PM

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has made history on Christmas Eve by flying closer to the Sun than any human-made object before. The spacecraft passed within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the Sun's surface, enduring temperatures exceeding 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (930 degrees Celsius) and intense radiation. Launched on August 12, 2018, from Florida, the probe is traveling at unprecedented speeds of up to 435,000 miles per hour (700,000 kilometers per hour), making it the fastest object ever made by humans. By passing through the Sun's corona, it aims to study the outer atmosphere to better understand solar winds and space weather that can impact Earth.