Parker Solar Probe
The Parker Solar Probe is a NASA spacecraft designed to study the Sun and its atmosphere. It was launched on August 12, 2018, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and is currently orbiting the Sun in a highly elliptical orbit that takes it closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft. The mission objectives of the Parker Solar Probe are to study the structure and dynamics of the Sun's corona, the Sun's magnetic field, and the solar wind. To achieve this, the probe will make a total of 24 close approaches to the Sun over the course of its mission, getting as close as 3.83 million miles from the Sun's surface, which is about 7 times closer than any previous spacecraft. By studying the Sun up close, the Parker Solar Probe aims to improve our understanding of space weather and its effects on Earth, as well as providing new insights into the fundamental processes that govern stars in the universe.
Parker Solar Probe is currently in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of 191,461,842 kilometers from Earth.
View interactive star map
Today's rise, transit and set times of Parker Solar Probe from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- Parker Solar Probe is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Parker Solar Probe Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Parker Solar Probe is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Parker Solar Probe?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Parker Solar Probe in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Parker Solar Probe Distance from Earth
The distance of Parker Solar Probe from Earth is currently 191,461,842 kilometers, equivalent to 1.279843 Astronomical Units. Light takes 10 minutes and 38.6480 seconds to travel from Parker Solar Probe and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Parker Solar Probe from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of Parker Solar Probe from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Parker Solar Probe to Earth
Between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2024, the closest approach of Parker Solar Probe to Earth happens on Mon Aug 19 2024 at a distance of 0.281441 Astronomical Units, or 42,102,964 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Visualization of Parker Solar Probe Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Parker Solar Probe with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Parker Solar Probe and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
Parker Solar Probe 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Parker Solar Probe computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Parker Solar Probe in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 10 | 00h 59m 16s | +04° 23’ 35” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 11 | 01h 02m 04s | +04° 40’ 09” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 12 | 01h 04m 58s | +04° 57’ 02” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 13 | 01h 07m 54s | +05° 14’ 12” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 14 | 01h 10m 53s | +05° 31’ 41” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 15 | 01h 13m 55s | +05° 49’ 28” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 16 | 01h 17m 03s | +06° 07’ 36” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 17 | 01h 20m 12s | +06° 26’ 03” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 18 | 01h 23m 27s | +06° 44’ 50” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 19 | 01h 26m 47s | +07° 03’ 59” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 20 | 01h 30m 10s | +07° 23’ 26” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 21 | 01h 33m 38s | +07° 43’ 17” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 22 | 01h 37m 10s | +08° 03’ 29” | N.A. | Pisces |
| 2024 May 23 | 01h 40m 47s | +08° 24’ 02” | N.A. | Pisces |