Shaheer Ahmed
NASA’s spacecraft called the Parker Solar Probe becomes the first ever to touch the sun. This was a long-awaited milestone and a major breakthrough in the history of science. The spacecraft is said to fly through the sun’s uppermost surface and sample magnetic fields and particles. The upper layer of the sun, also called the corona, had been unexplored previously.
The Parker Solar Probe has passed by the sun eight times in the past. The probe was launched in 2018 and ever since has been drawing closer to the sun however, this time managing to touch the sun. The spacecraft moves at a stunning speed of over 500,000kmph to enable getting in quickly and getting out quickly avoiding heat damage.
“We have finally arrived,” said Nicola Fox, director of NASA’s heliophysics division, located at the agency’s headquarters in Washington DC. “Humanity has touched the Sun.” The scientists declared the news on Tuesday 14th December. For years, scientists have been trying to study the sun in detail. The solar probe will now enable scientists to study the dangers and uncover information about the sun.
NASA claims that scientists are aware of the challenges associated with the probe touching the sun. A well-documented fact is that the sun is not like the Earth’s surface. It is a giant ball of hot plasma and the corona layer is 1.8 million Fahrenheit at its hottest point. These are also the cause of solar winds in space as well.
This major breakthrough is probably a dream come true for NASA. No spacecraft in history has been able to touch the sun and with Parker Solar Probe, it has been made possible. This development will cause several studies to take place at a clear angle. New and undiscovered information regarding the sun will be recorded.
Who knows, our future generations may have a whole detailed addition of context in their science textbooks with information we were never aware of.
Also read: https://neemopani.com/twitters-ceo-hands-over-the-reins-to-technology-chief/
