The Sun is No Longer Out of Our Reach, Confirms This Spacecraft

Scientists have just announced that the sun has been “touched” by a spacecraft for the first time in history, reaching the sun’s upper atmosphere known as the corona. 

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe crossed the threshold at 8.1 million miles away, confirming the distance from the center of the sun to the end of the sun’s atmosphere. Further, the probe confirmed that the sun’s boundary is not smooth, but instead has “spikes and valleys,” helping scientists understand the dynamics between the sun, its atmosphere, and solar winds. 

The probe has been in the atmosphere orbiting around and inching closer to the sun since 2018, and will continue to do so for many years. In 2025, it will get closer than ever before at only 4 million miles away, which is quite close, according to experts. 

Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in his press release, “Not only does this milestone provide us with deeper insight into our sun’s evolution and its impacts on our solar system, but everything we learn about our own star also teaches us more about stars in the rest of the universe.” Nicola Fox, division director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division, added, “The opportunity for new discoveries is boundless.”