NASA spacecraft 'touches' Sun for the first time ever. Know what it means

For the first time in history, a spacecraft has "touched" the Sun.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there.

The new milestone marks one major step for Parker Solar Probe and one giant leap for solar science. Just as landing on the Moon allowed scientists to understand how it was formed, touching the very stuff the Sun is made of will help scientists uncover critical information about our closest star and its influence on the solar system, NASA said.

Calling it "a monumental moment", NASA said that as it circles closer to the solar surface, Parker is making new discoveries.

Scientists said that Parker Solar Probe achieved the feat on April 28, but they made the announcement only after analysis of the data confirmed it.

The Parker probe was launched in 2018 to make repeated and increasingly closer passes of the Sun. The spacecraft moves at a stunning speed of over 500,000kmph to enable getting in quickly and getting out quickly to avoid heat damage.