The American space agency NASA says a spacecraft has entered the sun's outermost atmosphere for the first time.The Parker Solar Probe traveled through the solar atmosphere's outer edge--known as the corona--in April, scientists announced this week.They said it took them a few months to examine data from the spacecraft and to confirm the result.Unlike Earth, the sun does not have a solid surface.Instead, it is a superheated ball of material held together by gravity and magnetic forces.Some solar material escapes and is released into space in what is known as the solar wind.The solar wind is the flow of charged particles, known as plasma, released from the corona into space.The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 with a main goal of studying the solar wind.Scientists say being able to study the solar wind and the corona close up can help them better understand how solar activity influences Earth.
