When flying past Venus in July 2020, Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR instrument, short for Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe, detected a bright rim around the edge of the planet that may be nightglow — light emitted by oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere that recombine into molecules in the nightside. The prominent dark feature in the center of the image is Aphrodite Terra, the largest highland region on the Venusian surface. Bright streaks in WISPR, such as the ones seen here, are typically caused by a combination of charged particles — called cosmic rays — sunlight reflected by grains of space dust, and particles of material expelled from the spacecraft’s structures after impact with those dust grains. The number of streaks varies along the orbit or when the spacecraft is traveling at different speeds, and scientists are still in discussion about the specific origins of the streaks here. The dark spot appearing on the lower portion of Venus is an artifact from the WISPR instrument.

Latest News | February 24, 2021

Parker Solar Probe Offers Stunning View of Venus

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Spacecraft Status

Current Mission: Orbit 7

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psp202104_0443.svg Parker Solar Probe Mission Trajectory and Current Position Parker Solar Probe Distance from Sun Future Orbit Past Orbit 250 200 150 100 50 0 Distance from Sun's Surface (RS) 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Days from Launch Mercury Venus Earth Solar Probe Parker Heliocentric Velocity (km/s): 51.19 Distance from Sun Center (AU): 0.378 Distance from Sun's Surface (RS): 80.3 Distance from Earth (AU): 1.351 Round-Trip Light Time (hh:mm:ss): 00:22:28 19 Apr 2021 10:00:00 UTC

Countdown to next milestone

Solar Encounter Start: April 24, 2021, 00:11 UTC

Next countdown: Apr 24, 2021 0:11:29

Current Records Set By Parker Solar Probe

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What is Parker Solar Probe?

A scientific mission to unlock the mysteries of the Sun's corona and solar wind

A spacecraft that uses breakthrough technology and autonomy to endure heat and radiation like no other mission

A unique solar observatory that will orbit within 4 million miles of our star's surface to directly study the formation of the solar wind

The first mission named for a living scientist: Dr. Eugene Parker, who theorized the existence of the solar wind

Latest PSP News | All News

February 21, 2021

Parker Solar Probe Completes Fourth Venus Flyby

January 26, 2021

Parker Solar Probe Captures a Planetary Portrait

January 21, 2021

Parker Solar Probe Marks Seventh Successful Swing Around the Sun
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