Space exploration has taken a huge leap forward with the launch of the Parker Solar Probe, a spacecraft designed to do the unthinkable: track Venus. The probe, which launched on August 12, 2023, is a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency, and is the first mission to study the Sun’s atmosphere from up close. The probe will fly past Venus seven times over the course of its mission, using the planet’s gravity to alter its trajectory and gradually bring it closer and closer to the Sun until it reaches its closest approach in 2024. It is equipped with a suite of instruments and cameras to measure the Sun’s magnetic fields, track its charged particles, and image its outer atmosphere. By studying the Sun from such a close distance, scientists hope to gain an unprecedented understanding of how our star works and how it affects Earth and other planets.

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source: Phys.org