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

The Parker Photo voltaic Probe, a mission by NASA, is ready to make its closest method to the Solar on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024. This milestone flyby is anticipated 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 Solar’s floor, marking the twenty second shut encounter of its mission. This method represents a record-breaking second in house exploration, achieved via seven Venus flybys that incrementally introduced the probe nearer to the Solar.
Particulars of the Flyby
In keeping with mission updates from NASA and the Johns Hopkins Utilized Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), the Parker Photo voltaic Probe will journey at a staggering pace of 692,000 kilometers per hour throughout its journey via the Solar’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 extraordinary setting.
Updates and Monitoring
Whereas the occasion itself is not going to be broadcast stay, updates shall be supplied via NASA’s official channels and the Parker Photo voltaic Probe mission weblog. A standing test from the spacecraft is anticipated on December 27, adopted by the primary telemetry information on January 1, 2025. The preliminary scientific findings, together with information on photo voltaic exercise, are anticipated by late January.
What Comes Subsequent
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 useful information, with choices concerning the probe’s orbit to be made thereafter, as per the mission workforce’s updates.