While the James Webb Space Telescope waits patiently for its new scheduled liftoff on Christmas Eve, the Parker Solar Probe has been doing amazing things, whizzing through the outer edges of the Sun's corona for the very first time. Emily explains what we do — and staggeringly don't — know about our nearest star, and how Parker is going to help plug some of the more embarrassing gaps in our knowledge.

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Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.

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Since you’re here, you might be interested in a new, sciencey podcast: Science, possibly — science-adjacent stories by Chris Stewart and James Lees.

Things we talk about in this episode:

JWST still set for launch

The Parker Solar Probe

The Photosphere

The Chromosphere

The Corona

Coronal Mass Ejections

The Carrington Event of 1859

The Solar Storm of 1989

Parker touches the Sun!

First images from inside the corona (feat. Milky Way!)

Spaceguard!