A NASA spacecraft has officially “touched” the sun, plunging through the unexplored solar atmosphere known as the corona where temperatures can reach up to 3 million degrees Fahrenheit.
Scientists announced the news on Tuesday, describing it as basically “high-fiving” the sun. The Parker solar probe actually flew through the corona in April during the spacecraft’s 8th close approach to the sun.
It took a few months to get the data back to confirm it. A project scientist with Johns Hopkins University said the news was “fascinatingly exciting.”
Parker will continue its mission of getting closer and closer to the sun for another 4 years.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe has touched the sun in daring mission milestone https://t.co/UnnKLjsugc pic.twitter.com/ucxFnp9i2b
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) December 15, 2021