Parker Solar Probe makes another flyby of the sun, solar energy bags a win, and more science stories

NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

NASA this week announced the four-person unit that will lead its Artemis III mission successful 2027: NASA astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik on pinch ESA's Luca Parmitano arsenic nan flight's pilot. Plus, nan Parker Solar Probe took different travel astir nan sun, star power overtook ember successful May, and more. Here's this week's subject news.

Parker Solar Probe's 28th flyby

NASA's Parker Solar Probe made different adjacent walk astir nan sun this week, getting 3.8 cardinal miles from nan aboveground and reaching a velocity of 430,000 mph. This marked its 28th flyby, and matched nan velocity and region records nan probe first group backmost successful December 2024. It's deed those numbers 5 times since. The spacecraft began its latest attack connected June 3, and transmitted a beacon reside connected Thursday to awesome to nan squad that each is well.

The Parker Solar Probe has been studying our prima for 8 years, incrementally getting person and person to nan surface. It launched successful 2018 and made its first adjacent attack to nan sun that fall, erstwhile it came wrong 15 cardinal miles of nan sun's surface. For its first flyby, it reached a maximum velocity of 213,200 mph. Despite nan harsh conditions successful nan sun's vicinity — nan power shield reaches an estimated 1,700 degrees F erstwhile nan spacecraft is closest to nan sun — nan Parker squad says nan probe still appears to beryllium doing good aft each this time. Below nan power shield, nan Parker probe is protected by thermal blankets which person kept nan somesthesia of nan spacecraft itself accordant during these flybys.

"That somesthesia consistency is simply a awesome parameter of spacecraft health," said John Wirzburger, Parker Solar Probe ngo systems technologist astatine nan Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. "It tells america nan power shield isn't degrading. If it were cracking aliases weakening, we'd spot temperatures drift upward arsenic much power leaked through."

Parker is watching star upwind and activity, keeping way of nan changes that hap crossed nan sun's 11-year cycle. The abstraction probe arrived astatine nan sun adjacent nan quieter play known arsenic star minimum, and has been location agelong capable to spot it scope star maximum, which was confirmed successful 2024. This is erstwhile star activity peaks, giving emergence to an summation successful sunspots and events for illustration star flares and coronal wide ejections. Solar activity will soon statesman to gradually diminution arsenic it moves done nan adjacent phase. The Parker probe has had a beforehand statement spot for each of this, gathering unprecedented information that will thief america amended understand our prima and its effects connected abstraction weather.

Solar overtakes ember successful nan US for nan first time

According to a study from nan power deliberation vessel Ember, May 2026 marked nan first period connected grounds successful which star accounted for much energy procreation than ember successful nan United States. Despite nan Trump administration's push to revive nan ember industry, "Solar supplied a grounds 12.8 percent of US electricity, while ember fell to 12.2 percent, its fourth-lowest monthly stock ever," according to Ember. The full output from star past period was a grounds 45.5TWh, making it nan third-largest root of energy successful nan country, Ember reports.

Coal was only somewhat down it astatine 43.4TWh successful May, but this marked an 11 percent driblet compared to nan aforesaid clip past year. And successful April, it dipped to its lowest-ever monthly full connected record, astatine 39.3TWh. "The stock of ember procreation successful nan US operation has astir halved successful nan past 5 years, falling from 19.7 percent successful May 2021 to 12.2 percent successful May 2026," according to Ember. "In contrast, star power's stock of nan operation much than doubled from 5.4 percent to 12.8 percent complete nan aforesaid period."

Solar still fell down state and nuclear, but analysts astatine Ember opportunity cleanable powerfulness is still ticking upward moreover arsenic argumentation shifts successful nan different direction. In March, according to Ember, "renewables collectively generated much energy than state for nan first clip successful nan US."

Enjoy this timelapse of nan confederate lights seen from space

Earlier this week, an astronaut connected nan International Space Station shared a breathtaking timelapse video of aurora australis (the confederate lights). Jessica Meir, who is nan spacecraft commandant for NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission, captured nan footage from a Dragon spacecraft docked to nan ISS. "As opposed to nan erstwhile aurora I've seen, this 1 danced and snaked its measurement straight beneath us, putting connected rather a show," Meir wrote connected societal media. "I americium successful awe of this y [sic] evocative phenomenon."

A timelapse position from our @SpaceX Dragon of nan spectacular confederate aurora seen successful yesterday's post, a consequence of a caller star event. As opposed to nan erstwhile aurora I've seen, this 1 danced and snaked its measurement straight beneath us, putting connected rather a show. I americium successful awe of this... pic.twitter.com/ReztjH3x9H

— Jessica Meir (@Astro_Jessica) June 7, 2026

Astronauts whitethorn person immoderate of nan champion views of auroras, but viewers down connected nan crushed person been getting a beautiful bully show arsenic of late, too. The NOAA's National Space Weather Prediction Center past week issued G2 and G3 geomagnetic large wind watches, giving enthusiasts a heads up that auroras whitethorn beryllium visible successful much regions than normal. In nan Northern Hemisphere, auroras were predicted to beryllium visible crossed Canada and nan bluish US, while viewers successful Australia and New Zealand had a chance to drawback nan confederate lights.

Before you go, beryllium judge to cheque retired these stories too:

• Axiom reveals its Prada-designed spacesuit soul furniture for NASA

• Artemis III's life support: How a spacesuit keeps astronauts live connected nan moon

• Seattle is adjacent to approving a year-long prohibition connected ample information centers

• Researchers are processing textiles that tin nutrient drinking h2o from nan air