Here is the update on the ‘Coronal Streamer” photo that I posted for my AH blog today.
This an up close shot of the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, usually in regions of increased solar activity. It is the most recent (taken Nov. 8, 2018, at 1:12 a.m. EST) and closest picture about 16.9M miles from the Sun’s surface). This was taken by taken by the Parker Solar Probe launched by NASA to study about solar particles.
As we are discussing this picture here is some bonus info on a very unique cosmic coincidence. This involves the spacecraft that have been engaged in studying and collecting scientific data from the Sun. The spacecraft are Voyager 2 (launched in Aug 1977) and Parker Solar probe (launched AUG 2018). The Two probes were launched four decades apart. They carry similar equipments to study the plasma particles from the sun. But they traveled in opposite directions and crossed into new territory on both edges of the heliosphere on the SAME DAY without any orchestrated trajectory corrections or calculations. Voyager 2 left the heliosphere and went interstellar space while Parker solar probe went close to the Sun. Voyager 2 left heliosphere into intergalactic space and is at a staggering distance of 120 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun (Earth is on average 1 AU away from the Sun) while the Parker Solar Probe made its first close approach to our sun and is at less than one fifth of an AU from the surface of the Sun. And, the bright object near the center of the image is Mercury!