NASA's sun-kissing Parker Solar Probe finds source of 'fast' solar wind

artist's illustration of nasa's parker solar probe observing the orange, highly active sun at close range.

NASA's sun-touching Parker Solar probe has flown close enough to our star to spot the fine details of the solar wind — including its origin, "coronal holes" in the sun's atmosphere.

Armed with this information, scientists may now be able to better predict solar storms that can supercharge auroras over our planet but can also disrupt communication and power infrastructure and pose a threat to satellites, spacecraft and even astronauts.