Space Physics Seminar fall-2018

Parker Solar Probe (PSP) launched successfully on a Delta 4 heavy in the early morning of August 12th, 2018, its mission to carry out the first in situ exploration of the outer solar corona and inner Heliosphere. Direct measurements of the plasma in the closest atmosphere of our star should lead to a new understanding of the questions of coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, and the generation, acceleration and propagation of solar en ergetic particles. I will start from an introduction to our present knowledge of the magnetized solar corona and wind before describing the PSP scientific objectives, orbit, and instrument suites. Emphasis will be on how PSP will confirm or falsify present models as well as the potential new discoveries stemming from the first exploration of the space inside the orbit of Mercury. I will also discuss how synergies with Solar Orbiter might lead us to accurately understand the state of the solar wind all the way from the corona into interplanetary space, elucidating like never before the role and dynamics of active magnetized plasmas throughout the universe.