Here comes the Sun… 🌞 Heliophysicists (Scientists who study the Sun!) have been waiting more than 60 years for a mission like this to be possible. Parker Solar Probe is journeying closer to the Sun than any of our spacecraft before, in order to help us solve the solar mysteries waiting in the corona (the Sun’s outer atmosphere). The solar wind, along with the Sun’s magnetic field, envelops the inner part of our solar system. Occasionally, large amounts of this solar material spews out in a coronal mass ejection. These can create geomagnetic storms in space, which can cause power outages, disrupt satellite electronics, and even endanger astronauts! Therefore, it’s critical to understand the fundamental physics that power our Sun. This image from Parker Solar Probe shows a coronal streamer — a structure of solar material within the corona that usually indicate regions of increased solar activity. Parker Solar Probe was about 16.9 million miles from the Sun’s surface when this image w...