In “Le billet sciences du Weekend” we approach the sun: a space probe has observed the birth of the solar wind.
Mathilde Fontez, editor-in-chief of Epsiloon magazine, comes very close to the sun with NASA’s Parker probe on a mission there. NASA’s Parker probe has actually come closer to the Sun Star, closer than any probe before it.
franceinfo: The measurements of this probe show the origin of the solar wind that blows on the earth?
Mathilde Fontez: Yes, this probe flew away in 2018, it is orbiting the sun and is getting very, very close to it. In late 2021, she entered the star’s atmosphere. It flew 8.5 million kilometers past its surface – sounds like a lot, but it is more than ten times closer than Earth, never before has a probe come so close.
Parker took pictures and measurements of the plasma, the energetic particles, and the magnetic field. Then we had to wait for that data to be analyzed by the on-site astrophysicist teams. The results are beginning to come in. The probe was able to observe the birth of the solar wind.
It is this wind that comes to earth…
Yes, these are very energetic particles that envelop the entire solar system and all planets, forming a kind of bubble. And of course the earth also bathes in this wind. It is this wind that creates the Aurora Borealis by exciting the molecules of the atmosphere. how was he born What triggers these streams of particles on the sun’s surface? How is it structured? To answer these questions, the Parker probe was launched.
And here the researchers have an initial answer: it is a magnetic mechanism on the sun’s surface that triggers the streams of particles. The probe recorded wind gusts that corresponded exactly to the magnetic structure of the surface. It somehow imprints itself on the solar wind, showing that it is its source. And then these breaths fly to the earth.
Could these discoveries help predict solar flares? We often talk about the risks that these bursts bring to satellites in orbit, for example?
It’s the idea that by understanding the formation of the solar wind and the mechanisms on the surface, we can predict these flares. Do you succeed in setting up the solar weather. There are currently no reliable forecasts. The only thing we can do is monitor the satellites and put them on standby as soon as we detect a solar flare to prevent their electronic systems from being damaged by the particle stream.
The Parker probe will continue observations. The closest approach to the sun is planned for 2025.