Getting Really, Really Close to the Sun
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By Bill Hoagland
By BILL HOAGLAND
With all of the sensational news going on in the world today, you probably did not know that just two weeks ago, on December 24, NASA successfully maneuvered a spacecraft through the corona of the Sun. This is such a remarkable achievement that I think it justifie.”
This is an attempt to do an up-close study of the Sun by launching a spacecraft, roughly the size of a mini-van, and causing it to engage in an orbit around the Sun until it eventually gets burned up by getting too close. As the probe circles around the Sun, it is sending information back to NASA about the conditions the probe is experiencing. NASA planned the probe to circle the Sun 24 times, with the probe getting closer to the surface of the Sun with each revolution. The most recent encounter, which is the 22nd revolution, brought the probe through the Sun’s corona, which is a layer encircling the Sun that is believed to be even hotter than the Sun itself. The good news is that the probe—I like to refer to it as the “mini-van”—successfully passed through the corona without burning up. The last two revolutions will occur within the next six months.
The probe (or “mini-van”) is said to be traveling at a speed in excess of 430,000 miles per hour, which is the fastest speed ever accomplished by a man-made object. In fact, at some point during this project, NASA determined that it needed to slow the probe down as it got closer to the surface of the sun and to do this, they maneuvered the probe closer to Venus so that the gravitational forces of Venus would slow it down during the remaining revolutions around the Sun. How remarkable is that? The other remarkable aspect of this study is that this project was planned—years ago– so that the probe would be closest to the Sun when the Sun is projected to be in its most “active” period—early 2025.
By way of background, the Sun goes through a cycle every 11 years. As the Sun nears the end of a particular cycle, it becomes more active—meaning there are more solar flares (referred to as coronal mass ejections), more sun spots, and increased solar winds. This activity on the Sun’s surface impacts us here on Earth. You may recall that within the past six months, we have lost some satellites and there have been some telecom, cell phone and power grid problems that are believed to be related to this increased activity on the Sun’s surface—all more the reason to try and find out all we can about what is happening on the Sun’s surface.
If you want more information about the Parker Solar Probe, NASA has a specific web site where you can follow what is happening with “our little mini-van” as it makes its final two laps around the track. Just Google “Parker Solar Probe” and be amazed.
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■ Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County. Bill can be reached at [email protected].
