Parker Solar Probe First Light Data

  • Released Wednesday, September 19th, 2018
  • Updated Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 at 12:23AM
  • ID: 13072

Just over a month into its mission, Parker Solar Probe has returned first-light data from each of its four instrument suites. These early observations – while not yet examples of the key science observations Parker Solar Probe will take closer to the Sun – show that each of the instruments is working well. The instruments work in tandem to measure the Sun's electric and magnetic fields, particles from the Sun and the solar wind, and capture images of the environment around the spacecraft. The mission’s first close approach to the Sun will be in November 2018, but even now, the instruments are able to gather measurements of what’s happening in the solar wind closer to Earth.

First light data from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument suite. The right side of this image — from WISPR's inner telescope — has a 40-degree field of view, with its right edge 58.5 degrees from the Sun's center. The bright object slightly to the right of the image's center is Jupiter. The left side of the image is from WISPR’s outer telescope, which has a 58-degree field of view and extends to about 160 degrees from the Sun. It shows the Milky Way, looking at the galactic center. There is a parallax of about 13 degrees in the apparent position of the Sun as viewed from Earth and from Parker Solar Probe.Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe

First light data from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument suite. The right side of this image — from WISPR's inner telescope — has a 40-degree field of view, with its right edge 58.5 degrees from the Sun's center. The bright object slightly to the right of the image's center is Jupiter. The left side of the image is from WISPR’s outer telescope, which has a 58-degree field of view and extends to about 160 degrees from the Sun. It shows the Milky Way, looking at the galactic center. There is a parallax of about 13 degrees in the apparent position of the Sun as viewed from Earth and from Parker Solar Probe.

Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe

First light data from EPI-Lo (the lower-energy Energetic Particle Instrument), part of the ISʘIS (Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun) suite aboard Parker Solar Probe.Credit: NASA/Princeton University/Parker Solar Probe

First light data from EPI-Lo (the lower-energy Energetic Particle Instrument), part of the ISʘIS (Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun) suite aboard Parker Solar Probe.

Credit: NASA/Princeton University/Parker Solar Probe

First light data from EPI-Hi (the higher-energy Energetic Particle Instrument), part of the ISʘIS (Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun) suite aboard Parker Solar Probe. Credit: NASA/Princeton University/Parker Solar Probe

First light data from EPI-Hi (the higher-energy Energetic Particle Instrument), part of the ISʘIS (Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun) suite aboard Parker Solar Probe.

Credit: NASA/Princeton University/Parker Solar Probe

Data gathered during the FIELDS suite's boom deployment, measuring the magnetic field as the boom swung away from Parker Solar Probe. The early data is the magnetic field of the spacecraft itself, and the instruments measured a sharp drop in the magnetic field as the boom extended away from the spacecraft. Post-deployment, the instruments are measuring the magnetic field in the solar wind. Credit: NASA/UC Berkeley/Parker Solar Probe

Data gathered during the FIELDS suite's boom deployment, measuring the magnetic field as the boom swung away from Parker Solar Probe. The early data is the magnetic field of the spacecraft itself, and the instruments measured a sharp drop in the magnetic field as the boom extended away from the spacecraft. Post-deployment, the instruments are measuring the magnetic field in the solar wind.

Credit: NASA/UC Berkeley/Parker Solar Probe

Early data from Parker Solar Probe's FIELDS instrument suite (center and bottom) showing a radio burst from a solar flare, with data from NASA's Wind mission (top) for comparison.Credit: NASA/UC Berkeley/Parker Solar Probe/Wind

Early data from Parker Solar Probe's FIELDS instrument suite (center and bottom) showing a radio burst from a solar flare, with data from NASA's Wind mission (top) for comparison.

Credit: NASA/UC Berkeley/Parker Solar Probe/Wind

Early data from Parker Solar Probe's FIELDS instrument suite (bottom) showing a radio burst from a solar flare, with data from NASA's Wind mission (top) for comparison.Credit: NASA/UC Berkeley/Parker Solar Probe/Wind

Early data from Parker Solar Probe's FIELDS instrument suite (bottom) showing a radio burst from a solar flare, with data from NASA's Wind mission (top) for comparison.

Credit: NASA/UC Berkeley/Parker Solar Probe/Wind

Early data from the Solar Probe Cup, part of the SWEAP (Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons) instrument suite aboard Parker Solar Probe, showing a gust of solar wind (the red streak). Credit: NASA/University of Michigan/Parker Solar Probe

Early data from the Solar Probe Cup, part of the SWEAP (Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons) instrument suite aboard Parker Solar Probe, showing a gust of solar wind (the red streak).

Credit: NASA/University of Michigan/Parker Solar Probe

First light data from the SPAN-A (Solar Probe Analyzer Ahead) instrument aboard Parker Solar Probe, which is part of the SWEAP (Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons) instrument suite. This data shows measurements of solar wind ions (top) and solar wind electrons (bottom). Credit: NASA/University of Michigan/Parker Solar Probe

First light data from the SPAN-A (Solar Probe Analyzer Ahead) instrument aboard Parker Solar Probe, which is part of the SWEAP (Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons) instrument suite. This data shows measurements of solar wind ions (top) and solar wind electrons (bottom).

Credit: NASA/University of Michigan/Parker Solar Probe

For More Information

See https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2018/09/19/illuminating-first-light-data-from-parker-solar-probe/

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Missions

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