Telescopes on Earth and in space had the sun in their sights when NASA'sParker Solar probe made its 11th close flyby of the star on Feb. 25, all to understand more about the sun's behavior.
The van-sized craft was too small for the telescopes to see directly, so it wasn't visible in the various instruments. The long-distance view provided valuable context for what the spacecraft saw close to the sun, according to a statement.
Major telescopes in the United States, Europe and Asia are on the list.
A dozen satellites provided views from around the solar system. NASA tasked its Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. Energetics and Dynamics of the rmeosphere.
Other contributions came from NASA and the European Space Agency, as well as the Japanese-led Hinode solar observatory.
What is inside the sun? A star tour from the inside out.
It will take several weeks to receive preliminary data, meaning that the analysis will take several more months.
The behavior from our sun in the form of charged particle eruptions is one of the mechanisms that Parker is trying to understand. Occasionally these eruptions can disrupt infrastructure such as power lines or satellites, or create colorful displays high in the atmosphere called the Auroras.
The large solar prominence recorded on Feb. 15 was the largest such event since it launched 3.5 years ago.
The shock from the event hit the solar probe head-on, but it was built to survive in the most extreme conditions. Pointing to the sun's 11-year-cycle starting to ramp up, Raouafi added the team "can't wait to see the data that Parker Solar Probe gathers as it gets closer and closer."
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