Parker Solar Probe Path Across Sun's Surface
The velocity of Parker Solar Probe is fastest right at perihelion. The spacecraft is so fast that near perihelion, it flies faster than the Sun rotates. This animation illustrates this by following the track of the spacecraft on map of the surface of the Sun. When the spacecraft flies faster than the Sun rotates, the orbit track on the surface goes backward (retrograde). At the turning points (labeled co-rotation periods), the spacecraft and the Sun are essential moving together (co-rotation). These periods of time, which last many hours, will be invaluable for making continuous measurements of solar wind from the same source.
Credit: NASA/JPL/WISPR Team
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Scientist
- Paulett Liewer (NASA/JPL CalTech)
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Support
- Joy Ng (USRA)
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Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Release date
This page was originally published on Thursday, July 12, 2018.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:46 PM EDT.