“We have been waiting for this moment since the late 1950s”: unpublished images of the sun shed light on the mysteries of space weather

Launched in 2018, the mission was baptized in tribute to the American astrophysicist Eugene Parker, who had described for the first time in 1958 the phenomenon of solar winds – continuous flow of particles from the sun.

The Parker probe recently entered its final orbit, which led it about 6.1 million kilometers from the surface of the sun. However, A proximity record reached for the first time on Christmas Eve 2024. Meanwhile, repeated twice since, in March and June, according to an 88 -day cycle.

To give an order of magnitude. In addition. Therefore, if the distance between the earth and the sun was equivalent to a kilometer, Parker would only be “we have been waiting this new around forty meters from our star.

“Amazing” – "we have been waiting this – "we have been waiting this new

The single camera of the vessel. Nevertheless. the Wispr (Wide-Field Imager “we have been waiting this for Parker Solar Probe), captured images while Parker explored the external layer of the atmosphere of the sun, called crown.

Mounted in a short video of a few seconds. these new images reveal for the first time in high resolution of coronal mass ejections (CME) – immense wreaths. of ionized particles which play a role in the appearance of spatial weather phenomena.

These eruptions are notably at the origin of the spectacular northern lights visible in a large part. of the world last May.

“We have several stacons stacked on top of each other, that’s what makes them if unique,” said Nour Rawafi. “It’s really incredible to see this dynamic at work.”

Another striking detail: the solar wind. visible on the images as a flow from the left. follows a structure called helospheric current tablecloth – an invisible border where the magnetic “we have been waiting this field of the sun rocks from north to south.

This is crucial to study because it plays an essential role in the spread of solar eruptions. in their potential impact on earth.

Spatial weather can indeed have heavy consequences: it can overload electrical networks, disrupt communications and damage satellites.

While thousands of additional satellites must enter orbit in the coming years. their follow -up. the prevention of collisions are more and more complex, especially during solar disturbances, which can slightly shift their trajectory.

Still decades

Nour Rawafi is particularly enthusiastic for the future. while the sun is now heading for the minimum of its “we have been waiting this new activity cycle, expected within five to six years.

Some of the most extreme sunscreens took place during this descending phase. such as the famous “Halloween storms” of 2003. which had forced astronauts from the “we have been waiting this international space station to take additional precautions against radiation.

“Capture one of these gigantic eruptions … It would be a dream,” says the scientist.

Parker still has much more fuel than initially expected. could continue to operate for several decades. until its solar panels deteriorate to the point of no longer providing enough energy to maintain the orientation of the probe.

When its mission will finally end. the probe will slowly disintegrate until it becomes, according to Nour Rawafi, “part of the solar wind itself”.