Nasa Parker solar probe records closest CME ever nasa shared footage

American space agency NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) has made a record! It flew very close to the Sun during a solar explosion. It has become the first spacecraft to do so. The incident is said to have happened in the month of September last year. It was very close to the Sun during a coronal mass ejection (CME). The data obtained from the event can help scientists in detailed study of the early stages of CME and solar plasma. Parker Solar Probe was launched in the year 2018.

According to NASA, CME i.e. Coronal Mass Ejection throws billions of tons of plasma outwards, which move at a speed of 100 to 3 thousand kilometers per second. It can damage things that come in its path. Even satellites can get destroyed after colliding with the Earth's magnetic field.

Another first! Our Parker Solar Probe flew through an eruption from the Sun, and saw it “vacuuming up” space dust left over from the formation of the solar system. It’s giving @NASASun scientists a better look at space weather and its potential effects on Earth.… pic.twitter.com/AcwLXOlI6m

— NASA (@NASA) September 18, 2023

If we want to understand CME in more simple language, these are big clouds of solar plasma. After a solar explosion, clouds spread in space in the Sun's magnetic field. Due to their rotation in space, they expand and often reach a distance of several lakhs of miles. Many times they collide with the magnetic fields of the planets. When their direction is towards the Earth, they can cause geomagnetic disturbances. Due to these, short circuit may occur in satellites. The power grid may be affected. They can also put astronauts in Earth's orbit in danger.

Nonetheless, Parker Solar Probe captured the CME event on September 5 last year. The SWEAP instrument aboard Parker observed particles traveling at speeds of up to 1,350 kilometers per second. The study related to this has been published in 'The Astrophysical Journal'. Scientists say that this CME is the closest CME ever seen to the Sun. According to scientists, such a large CME had not been seen before in the place where Parker Solar Probe is located.

The study also states that the Parker Sol Probe's heat shield, radiators and thermal protection system maintained its temperature to avoid CME damage.

Scientists have not been able to know much about the Sun. Solar events have increased in recent years. This is because of the solar cycle, which has excited the Sun. This is called solar maximum. The cycle of these events happening in the Sun will continue till the year 2025.