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NASA\u2019s Parker Solar Probe has returned extraordinary measurements from inside the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, revealing that our star is not a smooth, steadily glowing sphere but a turbulent magnetic engine filled with reversals, explosions and streams of material moving in unexpected directions. During its closest passes, Parker traveled only 3.8 million miles above the visible solar surface at approximately 430,000 miles per hour, making it both the closest spacecraft to the Sun and the fastest human-made object in history.<\/p>\n
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Protected by a heat shield, the probe entered the corona and directly sampled the particles and magnetic fields that eventually become the solar wind. One of its most puzzling discoveries involves \u201cswitchbacks\u201d\u2014sudden zigzags that cause the magnetic field to reverse direction for brief periods. Parker found that these structures are abundant and become stronger closer to the Sun, suggesting that they may transport energy into the solar wind and help accelerate it to high speeds. Combined measurements from Parker and the ESA-led Solar Orbiter later provided evidence that energy stored in these waves can be transferred to the surrounding plasma.<\/p>\n
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Even more surprisingly, Parker recorded material making apparent U-turns and falling back toward the Sun. These \u201cinflows\u201d had previously been observed only from far away, but the spacecraft\u2019s close perspective exposed them on scales never seen before, demonstrating that the corona contains complex circulation rather than a simple one-way outflow.<\/p>\n
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In another major result, Parker passed between the Sun and a magnetic reconnection event, where stressed magnetic field lines broke and explosively reconnected. Scientists expected protons and heavier ions to be accelerated in similar ways, yet the data showed a striking difference: protons spread into a dispersed beam, while the heavier ions were focused into a narrow, laser-like stream. This behavior challenges simplified theories of particle acceleration and could improve forecasts of energetic solar storms that threaten astronauts, satellites, communications and electrical grids.<\/p>\n
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Parker has also captured the closest-ever images of the corona and the young solar wind, allowing researchers to watch magnetic structures collide and merge before becoming the space weather experienced near Earth. The word \u201cimpossible\u201d does not mean NASA discovered that the Sun is an artificial object or a portal, and dramatic structures shown in online thumbnails should be treated as illustrations. The Sun remains a star powered by nuclear fusion. What Parker is rewriting is scientists\u2019 understanding of how its atmosphere behaves: energy, particles and magnetic fields interact through processes far more dynamic and selective than earlier models predicted.<\/p>\n