NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, traveling at 430,000 mph, reaches 3.8 million miles from the Sun. It collects data on the solar wind and corona.

The “Christmas Tree Cluster,” or NGC 2264, is an array of young stars — all between 1 and 5 million years old — that is about 2,500 light-years, or 14.7 quadrillion miles, from Earth in the Milky Way.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is out of contact with mission control after its closest-ever pass of the sun on Tuesday, Dec. 24.

The concept of touching the Sun can be traced back to the ancient Greek myth of Icarus, but scientists at NASA have turned that idea into a reality. On Dec. 24th, their Parker Solar Probe managed to travel to just within 3.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has been breaking records since the day it launched as the fastest space mission in history. Now, six years after it embarked on its quest to study the Sun, Parker has set yet another record.

The Parker Solar Probe passed within just 3.8 million miles of the sun's surface — seven times closer to the burning ball of gas than any other mission has gotten.

According to NASA, the Parker Solar Probe reached speeds of up to 430,000 miles per hour, enduring temperatures as high as 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (982 Celsius). Although the probe is scheduled to orbit the Sun two more times, this mission marks the closest it will ever get.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is expected to make a fiery dive close to the solar surface on the morning of Christmas Eve.

Early on Christmas Eve in 2024, a NASA craft swooped at blazing speed through the sun's atmosphere. The Parker Solar Probe, equipped with a robust heat shield, made the closest-ever approach to our dynamic star,

NASA's Parker Solar Probe flew closer to the sun than any human-made object ever — a stunning technological feat that scientists liken to the historic Apollo moon landing in 1969.

The daring NASA spacecraft made its closest-ever approach to the sun at 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT) on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).