NASA's Parker Solar Probe, which is also studying the Sun, launched in 2018 and edges even closer to the fiery ball at the centre of the Solar System. This image from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument shows a coronal streamer, but not the Sun's surface. The encounter with ATLAS was not planned — the Solar Orbiter probe was launched in February to study the sun up-close, with a focus on the star's polar regions. Advertisement'We have never taken pictures of the sun from a closer distance than this,' said Daniel Muller, ESA's Solar Orbiter project scientist. It comes as Solar Orbiter begins its cruise phase, which will last until November 2021.

Source: Daily Mail June 15, 2020 17:27 UTC