Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe ventures closer to Sun than ever with Christmas Eve fly-by

Nasa’s pioneering Parker Solar Probe made history on Tuesday, flying closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft with its heat shield exposed to scorching temperatures of more than 930 degrees Celsius (1,700 degrees Fahrenheit).

Launched in August 2018, the spaceship is on a seven-year mission to deepen scientific understanding of our star and help forecast space-weather events that can affect life on Earth.

Tuesday’s historic fly-by should have occurred at precisely 11.53GMT, although mission scientists will have to wait until Friday for confirmation, as they lose contact with the craft for several days due to its proximity to the Sun.

If the distance between Earth and the Sun is the equivalent to the length of an American football field, the spacecraft should have been about 1 metre (four yards) from the end zone at the moment of closest approach – known as perihelion.

“This is one example of Nasa’s bold missions, doing something that no one else has ever done before to answer long-standing questions about our universe,” Arik Posner, Parker Solar Probe programme scientist, said in a statement on Monday.

“We can’t wait to receive that first status update from the spacecraft and start receiving the science data in the coming weeks.”