Teaming up to study the solar wind

In the run up to the 8 April 2024 total solar eclipse, ESA-led Solar Orbiter and NASA-led Parker Solar Probe are both at their closest approach to the Sun. They are taking the opportunity to join hands in studying the driving rain of plasma that streams from the Sun, fills the Solar System, and causes dazzlement and destruction at Earth.

Both Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe have very eccentric orbits, meaning that they fly in near to the Sun to get a close-up look, and then fly far out to give their onboard tech a chance to recover from the intense heat and radiation. During the next week, for the first time ever, the two spacecraft will both be at their closest approach to the Sun – what we call the ‘perihelion’ – at the same time.

What’s more, this closest approach coincides with Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe being at right angles to each other as they look towards the Sun.

Find out more about why this positioning is special

[Image description: Infographic showing the Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe spacecraft looking towards the same region at the edge of the Sun. Parker Solar Probe is 7.3 million km from the Sun, whilst Solar Orbiter is 45 million km away. The title reads 'Teaming up to study the solar wind'.]