The solar wind is a powerful force that can cause all sorts of havoc on Earth, from lighting up auroras to damaging electrical infrastructure. But despite its importance, we’ve had a limited understanding of where it comes from and what drives it – until now. Thanks to NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, we finally have a glimpse into the region where the solar wind originates.
Parker was able to observe the Sun up close and detect flows of highly energetic particles in the plasma that flows out of “coronal holes” – especially bright areas in the Sun’s magnetic field. These particles are also found in the fast solar wind, which is almost twice as fast as slow solar wind and can hit speeds of up to 800 km per second. Parker’s advanced instruments were able to track the emergence of the solar wind from about 8 million km away, giving us a much more structured view of its beginnings closer to the surface.
But what powers the solar wind? For decades, there was controversy over whether it was driven by magnetic reconnection or Alfvén waves. Parker’s observations finally helped resolve the argument, as the team created simulations of reconnection that matched what the probe detected.
Understanding where the solar wind originates is crucial for predicting when it will reach Earth and how quickly it will get here. This knowledge can help us protect sensitive equipment like satellites and electrical grids. And with Parker set to venture even closer to the Sun in the near future, we can expect even more groundbreaking discoveries to come.
On Sunday, October 28th, 2019, the United States’ Parker Solar Probe spacecraft captured the remarkable sight of the solar wind being released from the Sun. This groundbreaking event marks the first time such an occurrence has been directly observed.
The Parker Solar Probe blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2018. Its mission is to go as close to the Sun as possible and gather data regarding the Sun’s atmosphere, powerful solar winds, and fields of magnetic energy which are found close to the surface.
The first image of the solar wind launch came from the probe’s “WISPR” (Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe) instrument. It shows a bright localized arc near the southern pole of the Sun that is thought to be the result of solar wind originating from the surface.
Solar wind is a stream of electrically charged particles that continually escape the Sun’s atmosphere. It plays an important role in the evolution and activity of stars throughout the universe.
By getting a detailed view of the solar wind in action, scientists will now be able to gain a better understanding of the interplanetary environment and how it affects the Earth and the rest of the Solar System. This makes the probe invaluable to scientists studying the Sun and its effects.
The Parker mission is being carried out by the Applied Physics Laboratory of John Hopkins University and is run by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It will continue into 2025, when it should make a total of seven passes at less than ten solar radii from the center of the Sun.
What the Parker Solar Probe has achieved so far is truly remarkable and will hopefully give us an even greater insight into how the Sun works and how it influences our daily lives.
With its stunning images of the solar wind launch, the Parker Solar Probe has opened a new chapter in space exploration.
