NASA's Parker Solar Probe smashes record for closest approach to the Sun

The spacecraft surpassed the earlier record of 'just' 43 million kilometers from the surface of Sun

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has set a new record for the closest approach to the Sun by a man-made object.

On Monday, the spacecraft surpassed the earlier record of 'just' 26.55 million miles (43 million kilometers) from the surface of Sun, set by the American-German Helios-2 craft in 1976.

According to NASA, the spacecraft is currently moving towards the scorching surface of the Sun and is closer to the star than any other spacecraft has ever been before.

Parker also set another record on Tuesday when it surpassed Helios-2's previous record of fastest spacecraft travelling relative to the Sun. Helios-2 had set this record in 1976 with a heliocentric speed of 153,454 mph (246,960 km/h).

Parker Solar Probe was launched in August this year from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with a mission to collect data about the processes that enable the Sun to provide heat and light to the Earth.

Next week, the spacecraft will reach its first 'perihelion' in its current orbit; that is, the point closet to the Sun. The craft will fly through the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, to reach within 15 million miles of the surface of the Sun.

Sun's corona is much hotter than the photosphere - the actual surface of the Sun. While the photosphere has a temperature of around 6,000 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the corona may sometimes reach a few million degrees.

The Parker Solar Probe is expected to send significant data about the Sun's corona to enable scientists solve longstanding mysteries about the behaviour of the Sun, as well as stars more generally.

Over the next seven years, the probe will complete 24 close approaches to the Sun. With each encounter, it will get closer and closer, before eventually coming just 3.83 million miles (6.12 million kilometers) from the solar surface, expected in 2024.

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