NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is still making history by orbiting around the sun, and it’s set to set another record this week. According to the space agency, on Dec. 24 at 6:53 a.m. ET, the spacecraft’s orbit will take it just 3.8 million miles from the solar surface. That will be the closest it — or any other probe — has ever been to the sun.
This milestone will mark the completion of Parker Solar Probe’s 22nd orbit around our star and the first of three final closest flybys planned for its mission. The spacecraft, which launched in 2018, is expected to complete a total of 24 orbits.
“No man-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker will return data from truly uncharted territory,” Nick Pinkin, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, said in a statement on NASA’s blog. “We’re excited to hear back from the spacecraft as it wraps around the sun.”
The Parker Solar Probe will be traveling about 430,000 miles per hour during its closest pass. It will ping the team to confirm its health on Dec. 27, when it’s far enough from the sun to resume communications.
Of all the notebooks we’ve tested and reviewed recently, we consider Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air M3 to be the best laptop for most people, and that’s the case for our top picks to start the new year.
It’s powerful enough to handle most tasks (even light video editing); it has a great screen and built-in speakers; and its battery can last about 20 hours (depending on what you’re doing, of course). The MacBook Air M3 is also one of the lightest and thinnest systems we’ve reviewed, and it’s noticeably quiet thanks to the fanless design.
Although Apple recently introduced its new M4 chip in the iPad Pro, we won’t see it in the MacBook Air until next year. For now, the MacBook Air M3 is still a great laptop to buy, especially if you need a machine with good battery life.
Of course, not everyone wants a MacBook, and there are excellent Windows laptops and Chromebooks out there, too. Windows systems offer a variety of configurations, from budget to high-end UHD screens with gorgeous IPS panels that boast high nits for excellent brightness.
Chromebooks, on the other hand, are more affordable and are great for users who work mostly online. Whether you need a powerhouse for creative work, a compact system for note taking, or a laptop that can handle movie night with the family, there’s something for everyone in today’s laptop market.