Overview

• On September 6, 2022, Parker Solar Probe traversed a reconnection region in the Sun’s corona during a large eruption, directly sampling plasma and magnetic fields.
• The measurements aligned with predictions from decades-old numerical models, providing strong empirical constraints for future simulations.
• Findings bridge detailed reconnection physics observed by NASA’s MMS near Earth with the same process operating on solar scales.
• Researchers combined in-situ diagnostics with imaging and ESA’s Solar Orbiter observations to identify and characterize the reconnection site.
• The team plans targeted studies of turbulence, magnetic fluctuations, waves, and particle acceleration to sharpen space-weather forecasting.