How’s the Parker Solar Probe doing? Are there any updates that we should be aware of?
The Parker Solar Probe is doing great. We are going through our fifth encounter and recently we were the closest we’ve ever been to the Sun. After a period of five days where we could not communicate with the spacecraft, it sent us a signal that it’s healthy and it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. In terms of science, it’s just amazing. Whenever the spacecraft gets closer to the Sun, we are learning new things that we’ve never seen before.
What is the major mystery surrounding the Sun and its corona that astronomers are desperately trying to solve, and are hoping the Parker Solar Probe will help shed light on?
There are a few phenomena that were discovered decades ago, but we are still struggling to understand. I think the one that is most puzzling is what we call the ‘coronal heating problem’. The corona, which is the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere, is 300-times hotter than the solar surface. And we know that all the energy is coming from inside the Sun, so in a way it’s counter-intuitive that the source is cooler than the environment around it. But the Parker Solar Probe is giving us clues and hints as to what might be causing excess heating there.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 107-utgaven av All About Space.
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15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS
Go on a night-sky treasure hunt as the brighter evenings give way to the cooler months
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?
A new study reckons the answer lies high in the Venusian atmosphere
WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE
Can bouncing black holes help physicists find the ultimate theory of everything?
THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT
While the solar wind also contributes to the atmosphere, meteorites are the main culprit
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST
Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond
NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE
Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past
A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG
The massive explosion was captured in 2022
Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”
Jameel Janjua made it to the bitter end in a Canadian government astronaut selection in 2009, but wasn't chosen. He found a different path to space through Virgin Galactic
BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET
The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays
DARK ENERGY
THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED