Editing 2262: Parker Solar Probe
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This is an informative comic meant to represent the relative distances of astronomical objects relative to the {{w|Parker Solar Probe}}. It also shows where the probe will be in 2025 if its mission continues going according to plan | + | This is an informative comic meant to represent the relative distances of astronomical objects relative to the {{w|Parker Solar Probe}}. It also shows where the probe will be in 2025 if its mission continues going according to plan. |
The Parker Solar Probe is a robotic spacecraft launched by NASA in 2018 with the mission of repeatedly probing and making observations of the outer corona of the Sun. It travels in an elongated orbit that passes close to the Sun and sometimes passes near Venus, arranged such that Venus nudges the orbit slightly in each pass to bring the probe's perihelion (the lower end of its orbit) closer and closer to the Sun. Two days before this comic was published {{w|Parker_Solar_Probe#Timeline|the probe again passed through perihelion}}, establishing new records for closeness to the Sun (0.12 {{w|Astronomical unit|AU}}) and speed (244,225 mph).[https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2020/01/29/parker-solar-probe-completes-fourth-closest-approach-breaks-new-speed-and-distance-records/] By the end of the probe's planned lifetime in 2025, it will pass within 0.046 AU (6.9 million km), or about 5 solar diameters, of the Sun's center, at a speed of 430,000 mph (690,000 km/h). The title text incorrectly states this distance to be ''9 or 10'' solar diameters measured from the Sun's ''surface''. | The Parker Solar Probe is a robotic spacecraft launched by NASA in 2018 with the mission of repeatedly probing and making observations of the outer corona of the Sun. It travels in an elongated orbit that passes close to the Sun and sometimes passes near Venus, arranged such that Venus nudges the orbit slightly in each pass to bring the probe's perihelion (the lower end of its orbit) closer and closer to the Sun. Two days before this comic was published {{w|Parker_Solar_Probe#Timeline|the probe again passed through perihelion}}, establishing new records for closeness to the Sun (0.12 {{w|Astronomical unit|AU}}) and speed (244,225 mph).[https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2020/01/29/parker-solar-probe-completes-fourth-closest-approach-breaks-new-speed-and-distance-records/] By the end of the probe's planned lifetime in 2025, it will pass within 0.046 AU (6.9 million km), or about 5 solar diameters, of the Sun's center, at a speed of 430,000 mph (690,000 km/h). The title text incorrectly states this distance to be ''9 or 10'' solar diameters measured from the Sun's ''surface''. | ||
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[[File:Animation of Parker Solar Probe trajectory.gif|thumb|right|Animation of Parker Solar Probe's trajectory from August 7, 2018 to August 29, 2025 <br />{{Color|magenta|Parker Solar Probe}} • {{Color|RoyalBlue|Earth}} • {{Color|Cyan|Venus}} • {{Color|Lime|Mercury}} • {{Color|#dbd81d|Sun}}]] | [[File:Animation of Parker Solar Probe trajectory.gif|thumb|right|Animation of Parker Solar Probe's trajectory from August 7, 2018 to August 29, 2025 <br />{{Color|magenta|Parker Solar Probe}} • {{Color|RoyalBlue|Earth}} • {{Color|Cyan|Venus}} • {{Color|Lime|Mercury}} • {{Color|#dbd81d|Sun}}]] | ||
− | [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are standing on Earth. The way this diagram is drawn, they look like they could fall off Earth toward the Sun -- hence the comment "Careful!" -- though the joke is that in real life they would fall toward the center of the Earth, not toward the Sun. Also the surprise for many people is that it is much harder to reach the | + | [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are standing on Earth. The way this diagram is drawn, they look like they could fall off Earth toward the Sun -- hence the comment "Careful!" -- though the joke is that in real life they would fall toward the center of the Earth, not toward the Sun. Also the surprise for many people is that it is much harder to reach the sun than Pluto. Because we already travel so fast here on Earth, and to reach the sun this speed has to be reduced, which is a larger speed difference than the one needed to escape the Sun's gravity well. If you could "fall" off Earth, you would just keep the approximately same distance to the Sun, but drifting slowly away from Earth. |
− | The title text says the probe will get within 9 or 10 Sun-''diameters'' of the Sun's ''surface''. This is a bit of a mistake: it will actually get {{w|Parker Solar Probe|within that many Sun-''radii''}} (only 4½ or 5 Sun-diameters) of the ''center'' of the Sun, which corresponds to 4 or 4½ Sun-diameters above its surface | + | The title text says the probe will get within 9 or 10 Sun-''diameters'' of the Sun's ''surface''. This is a bit of a mistake: it will actually get {{w|Parker Solar Probe|within that many Sun-''radii''}} (only 4½ or 5 Sun-diameters) of the ''center'' of the Sun, which corresponds to 4 or 4½ Sun-diameters above its surface. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is approximately 106 Sun-diameters. |
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! Object | ! Object |