Encounter eighteen was well situated for good Earth-based footpoint observations during the inbound portion of Parker’s encounter. Ballistic mapping predicted that the footpoint of Parker Solar Probe would be on disk for most of December 2023, passing over the west limb shortly after perihelion (2023 Dec 29th). Near perihelion (at 11.4 Rs), Parker Solar Probe was nearly Parker Spiral-aligned with Earth and STEREO-A. To aid in coordinating observations, footpoint predictions were issued on 2023 December 26, 27, and 28. Footpoint predictions also included updates on the likelihood of flare activity from currently visible active regions based on the CCMC Flare Scoreboard.
Visit our campaign target archive page.
