Parker probe took the closest photos to the Sun in history

NASA has released images of the Sun taken by the Parker Solar Probe on December 24, 2024. The probe flew through the star's outer atmosphere, also known as the corona, at a distance of just 3.8 million miles (~6.1 million kilometers).

This is the closest look at the Sun in history. The images shown help scientists better understand the Sun's influence on the entire solar system, including events that can directly affect Earth.

The images, taken with the Wide-Angle Thermal Imager for the Solar Probe (WISPR), show both the corona and the solar wind – a constant stream of electrically charged particles from the Sun that rage throughout the system. As NASA notes, understanding the effects of the solar wind begins with understanding its origin on the Sun.

Among other things, the new images allow scientists to take a closer look at what exactly happens to the solar wind shortly after it is released from the corona. The photos also show the boundary where the Sun's magnetic field changes direction from north to south, also called the heliospheric current layer.

In addition, these images capture for the first time in high quality the collision of multiple coronal mass ejections, large bursts of charged particles that play a key role in space weather.