Feature Story
A Star Explored — Parker Solar Probe’s Daring Dive to the Sun’s Fiery Edge
On Dec. 24, 2024, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will embark on a record-breaking flyby of the Sun, zooming to within just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the star’s fiery surface. It will mark humanity’s closest-ever approach to a star, the culmination of a nearly 70-year quest to unravel the Sun’s secrets.
Since its launch in 2018, Parker Solar Probe has been rewriting the textbooks about our nearest star. From how the solar wind is generated at its source to the mystery of how the solar corona is heated to extreme temperatures, this trailblazing mission has been solving some of the Sun’s most puzzling riddles. And the discoveries keep coming.
Take a journey through the mission’s six-year odyssey, filled with breathtaking imagery and groundbreaking findings that have transformed our understanding of the Sun. This new interactive feature lets you relive the highlights, from the mission’s roaring start to its final swing around Venus and the mission’s nail-biting climax: the three closest approaches.