Parker Solar Probe's 16th swoop reveals method to probe solar storms.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed its 16th perihelion pass, flying through the sun's corona, while its instruments were kept at a comfortable 85 degrees F due to the probe's heat shield. The spacecraft is scheduled to make 24 close passes of the photosphere during its primary mission, collecting data scientists will use to improve stellar models and the ability to forecast space weather events that can pose a danger to satellites and power grids. By studying the disparities in temperature between different layers of the sun’s atmosphere, researchers hope to gain a better understanding of the process causing the star’s coronal heating, and how that affects the acceleration of the solar wind.