How Close Can You Get To The Sun? - Te Awamutu Space Centre

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This depends on exactly how you plan to travel towards the Sun. Of course you'll need to be in a spacecraft and it would make sense to stay inside that spacecraft. If the spacecraft has similar heat-shielding to a modern space capsule, this will protect you up to temperatures of about 2,500°C (4,700°F). This means you could theoretically get to within 2,000,000 km (1,300,000 mi) of the Sun.

If you leave your spaceship and start floating in space with only a spacesuit to protect you, it would be more difficult. A standard spacesuit will protect you against about 120°C (248°F). You could probably be about 5,000,000 km (about 3,000,000 mi) from the Sun and still survive. If you want to get closer, you'll need a better spacesuit or stay inside your spaceship.

No human has yet been anywhere near this close to the Sun. In fact, for all intents and purposes, no one has really been closer to the Sun than Earth. Even astronauts planning to live on the Moon will only get 384,400 km (238,855 mi) closer to the Sun. Since the Sun is about 148,000,000 km (92,000,000 mi) away, the Moon is only very slightly closer to the Sun than Earth.

We have sent robotic space probes much closer to the Sun than Earth. For example, the Parker Space Probe was designed to get within 6,900,000 km (4,300,000 mi) of the Sun.

See also:

  • Questions about the Sun
  • Facts about the Sun

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Author: Dave Owen

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