What Time Is NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Closest Sun Flyby on Christmas Eve?

The Parker Solar Probe, a mission by NASA, is about to make its closest strategy to the Sun on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024. This milestone flyby is predicted to happen at exactly 6:53 a.m. EST, as reported by a number of sources. The spacecraft will attain an unprecedented proximity of 6.1 million kilometers from the Sun’s floor, marking the twenty second shut encounter of its mission. This strategy represents a record-breaking second in area exploration, achieved via seven Venus flybys that incrementally introduced the probe nearer to the Sun.

Details of the Flyby

According to mission updates from NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), the Parker Solar Probe will journey at a staggering velocity of 692,000 kilometers per hour throughout its journey via the Sun’s outer ambiance, or corona. This high-speed encounter goals to make clear the corona’s excessive temperatures and its position in photo voltaic wind era. The probe’s warmth defend, constructed to endure temperatures as much as 1,377 levels Celsius, will make sure the spacecraft stays operational because it navigates the extreme setting.

Updates and Tracking

While the occasion itself won’t be broadcast stay, updates will probably be offered via NASA’s official channels and the Parker Solar Probe mission weblog. A standing verify from the spacecraft is predicted on December 27, adopted by the primary telemetry knowledge on January 1, 2025. The preliminary scientific findings, together with knowledge on photo voltaic exercise, are anticipated by late January.

What Comes Next

This flyby is a part of the probe’s seven-year mission, concluding in 2025 after a complete of 24 photo voltaic encounters. Subsequent flybys in March and June 2025 will proceed to assemble invaluable knowledge, with selections in regards to the probe’s orbit to be made thereafter, as per the mission workforce’s updates.