Try GOLD - Free
Nasa's Parker probe survives closest ever approach to sun
The Guardian
|December 28, 2024
Santa and his reindeer were not the only bodies making a celestial journey on 24 December: Nasa has revealed that its Parker solar probe successfully completed its closest-ever approach to the sun and remains in good health.
It is the closest any human-made object has come to the star at the centre of our solar system, with the probe experiencing temperatures of up to 982C (1,800F) and intense radiation.
Dr Nicola Fox, Nasa's head of science, said: "It is 3.8m miles from the sun's surface. It is breaking all of these records and it's a just a total 'Yay, we did it!' moment."
Launched in 2018, the Parker solar probe has spent the past few years completing 21 orbits around the sun, with flybys of Venus gradually shifting its path closer to our star.
The probe, which is the size of a small car, has been designed to make observations of the sun's upper atmosphere, known as the corona, and carries four instrument suites.
This story is from the December 28, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Albanese rules out link between gunmen and wider terrorist cell
Investigators in Australia have dismissed suggestions that two gunmen who opened fire on a crowd celebrating a Jewish festival in Sydney on Sunday, killing 15 people and injuring dozens, were part of a wider terror network.
4 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
'Show a bit of dog' Stokes makes rallying call as England strive to save Ashes
Ben Stokes has called on his England players to summon up the rage witnessed against India in the summer and show some \"dog\" as they look to keep their slim Ashes hopes alive.
2 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Doctors to strike after rejecting last-ditch offer
Hospitals are cancelling tens of thousands of appointments and operations after resident doctors voted overwhelmingly to reject a last-ditch offer to avoid this week's strike.
3 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Fright and delight from eye-popping illusions
Paranormal Activity
1 min
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Kendal is formidable in a fitting first epitaph to Stoppard
A fortnight after West End playhouses dimmed their lights in tribute to Sir Tom Stoppard, Hampstead theatre's stage lights rise on a revival of his 1995 play Indian Ink, originally intended to mark 30 years since the play's premiere.
2 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Jimmy Lai The rise and fall of Hong Kong's chief 'troublemaker'
Yesterday’s verdict convicting Jimmy Lai of national security offences was expected.
6 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
'A matter of conscience' Heroic bystander's family on why he risked his life
When Ahmed al-Ahmed tackled and wrested a gun from an alleged shooter at Bondi beach, he was simply thinking that he \"couldn't bear to see people dying\", his cousin says.
3 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Prem Rugby to seek investors if RFU backs franchise plan
Prem Rugby is planning to launch a tender process to secure external investment in the competition after it has received formal approval from the Rugby Football Union to become a closed franchise league, which it expects will happen next year.
2 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Tears, flowers and silence: Sydney unites in grief after Bondi horror
Defiant dawn gathering at site by beach where gunmen had opened fire
3 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Maresca’s silence only amplifies the Chelsea noise
If Enzo Maresca was interested in ending speculation that he has a problem with elements of Chelsea’s hierarchy then he would have done so yesterday.
3 mins
December 16, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size