NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has successfully travelled through solar wind, gathering valuable insights into the sun’s workings to prevent a potential “internet apocalypse” that could disrupt communication networks and power grids on Earth.
The spacecraft, which was launched five years ago, went on a remarkable journey that took it close to the sun’s surface, where solar wind is generated. Solar wind consists of a continuous stream of charged particles emanating from the sun’s outermost atmosphere, known as the corona.
Despite the extreme conditions of intense heat and radiation, the Parker Solar Probe persevered to gather crucial information that is lost as the wind exits the corona in the form of photons and electrons. The team of U.S. researchers likened the experience to "seeing jets of water emanating from a showerhead through the blast of water hitting you in the face".
According to reports, these findings helped identify a phenomenon known as “supergranulation flows” within coronal holes, where magnetic fields emerge. The team suggests that these regions serve as the origin points for the high-speed solar wind.
Typically found at the sun’s poles during quiet periods, the holes do not directly impact Earth. However, during the sun’s active phase every 11 years, when its magnetic field flips, these holes appear across the sun’s surface, generating bursts of solar wind aimed directly at our planet.
Scientists have issued warnings about the potential impact of a solar storm, commonly referred to as an “internet apocalypse,” which could strike within the next decade. Such an event could leave people without internet access for months or even years, rendering satellites and power lines useless.
