Space

NASA's Parker Solar Probe celebrates Christmas

The daring NASA spacecraft achieved its closest-ever visit to the sun at 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT) on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24). When you purchase using links on our site, we may receive an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. On Christmas Eve (Dec. 24), a NASA spacecraft made history by getting closer to the sun than any spacecraft ever has before. This record-breaking achievement was done by the Parker Solar Probe, which traveled to within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the sun, braving the blazing heat of our star's outer atmosphere, the corona. The flyby, which should have happened at 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT), was the 22nd time Parker had made a near passage to the sun. Though the NASA spaceship is planned to conduct at least two more flybys of the sun, this is the closest it has ever and will ever get near the star. And, to be