NASA's Parker Solar Probe flew closer to the sun than any human-made object ever — a stunning technological feat that scientists liken to the historic Apollo moon landing in 1969.

Among its other discoveries, the Parker Solar Probe has also provided the first compelling evidence for the long-theorized but elusive dust-free zone around the sun, which is created by sunlight heating cosmic dust to high temperatures and turning it into gas.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is about to make history, once again. On Christmas Eve, the spacecraft is going to get closer to the Sun than any human-made object ever has, traveling at speeds faster than any human-made object has traveled.