Artist’s concept of Parker Solar Probe. On Tuesday, Dec. 24, NASA's Parker Solar Probe got to within ... [+] just 3.86 million miles (6.1 million k

NASA Spacecraft ‘Touches Sun’ In Defining Moment For Humankind

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2024-12-25 19:00:06

Artist’s concept of Parker Solar Probe. On Tuesday, Dec. 24, NASA's Parker Solar Probe got to within ... [+] just 3.86 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the sun's surface.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has traveled to within just 3.86 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface — a new record — on Christmas Eve. You can follow Parker’s landmark moment on NASA’s Eyes On The Solar System page.

In one of humankind’s most impressive feats of space exploration, Tuesday, Dec. 24 saw a heavily armored NASA spacecraft — no bigger than a small car — become the closest human-made object to the sun in history. It also saw humanity’s closest-ever approach to a star and the fastest-ever human-made object break its speed record.

This monumental feat of exploration occurred at 11:53 UTC (6:53 a.m. EST) on Tuesday, Dec. 24, as Parker conducted an unprecedented close flyby of the sun, reaching just 3.86 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from its surface. It was its 22nd close approach to the sun.