PARKER SOLAR PROBE

What is the switchback

When NASA’s parker solar probe sent back the first observations from its voyage to the Sun, scientists found signs of a wild ocean of currents and waves quite unlike the near-Earth space much closer to our planet.

What is the solar wind

The solar wind is created by the outward expansion of plasma (a collection of charged particles) from the Sun's corona (outermost atmosphere). This plasma is continually heated to the point that the Sun's gravity can't hold it down.

The Corona

The corona is part of the Sun’s atmosphere. The Sun is not a solid nor a gas, but plasma—a superheated mix of electrically charged particles that stream along magnetic field lines. This plasma is tenuous and gaseous near the surface but gets denser toward the Sun’s core.

What is space weather

Activity on the Sun’s surface creates a type of weather called space weather. The Sun is extremely far away—about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers)—from Earth.

What are the instruments that the probe needs it

Parker Solar Probe carries four instrument suites designed to study magnetic fields, plasma and energetic particles, and image the solar wind.

Information about the parker solar probe

Mass:

The mass of the spacecraft after fueling is about 1,400 pounds (635 kilograms).