Many already know that the Sun doesn’t have a solid surface, but instead a superheated atmosphere. This point is known as the Alfvén critical surface, which marks the end of the solar atmosphere and beginning of the solar wind. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe managed to survive a few hours in the corona due to the intense conditions, and went as low as 15 solar radii from its surface.
The spacecraft transited a feature in the corona called a pseudostreamer, which are gigantic structures that rise above the Sun’s surface and can be seen from Earth during solar eclipses. When you pass through the pseudostreamer, it’s like flying into the eye of a storm, in which the conditions quieted, particles slowed, and number of switchbacks dropped.
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We were fully expecting that, sooner or later, we would encounter the corona for at least a short duration of time. But it is very exciting that we’ve already reached it,” said Justin Kasper, lead author on a new paper about the milestone published in Physical Review Letters.
