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Solar Probe makes history and breaks its own records
Image source, NASA
Nasa's Parker Solar Probe has broken its own record for closest human-made object to the Sun.
The Parker Solar Probe is a special spacecraft that was designed to travel close to the Sun and make important observations about our nearest star.
Now, on its 20th approach to the Sun, the probe has come its closest yet - about 4.51 million miles (7.26 million kilometres) from the solar surface.
The Parker Probe will fly around the Sun at the same distance once more, before it makes the first of its three final closest approaches on 24 December.
How much closer will the Nasa Parker Probe get to the Sun?
Image source, The Washington Post
The Parker will make the first of its planned closest approaches on Christmas Eve, 24 December this year.
At this point it will be zooming just 3.8 million miles from the Sun's surface.
It will be travelling about 430,000 miles (692km) per hour.
As well as being the closest human-made object to the sun, the Parker Solar Probe it is currently the record holder for the fastest human-made object in space.
What is the Parker Solar Probe aiming to do?
Amongst other things, Nasa hopes to use the probe to understand more about the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere - its corona - and its solar wind.
The probe is also recording important information about about Sun's plasma and magnetic fields - especially how they are related to its solar winds.