Parker Solar Probe's Fiery Christmas Eve Flyby

On December 24, NASA's Parker Solar Probe zipped to a record-breaking 3.86 million miles from the Sun's surface, blazing through the corona at 430,000 mph. This mission, honoring Eugene Parker, tackled temperatures soaring past 1,800°F to unravel the solar wind mystery that’s puzzled scientists for half a century. After a final Venus gravity assist in November, the probe’s engineering triumphs once again shine, promising insights to shield our tech from solar tantrums.