A Breath from the Heart of Sky

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 10/21/2024

NASA’s Parker Probe

CME TARGETS VENUS AND THE PARKER PROBE: The sun just hurled a CME straight toward Venus. According to a NASA model (above), it struck the planet during the early hours of Oct. 21st and, at the same time, engulfed NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. Why are the two so close together? The spacecraft is plunging toward Venus for a flyby on Nov. 6th that will bend its orbit toward the sun for a record-breaking close approach on Christmas Eve. Full story.

What is Parker Solar Probe?

• A scientific mission to unlock the mysteries of the Sun’s corona and solar wind
• A spacecraft that uses breakthrough technology and autonomy to endure heat and radiation like no other mission
• A unique solar observatory that will orbit within 4 million miles of our star’s surface to directly study the formation of the solar wind
• A mission named for Dr. Eugene Parker, the scientist who theorized the existence of the solar wind

(Source: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe)

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